'?M««I 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT 

ERNEST  COWAN 

n  (UUmor  tarn 


JESSE  WARREN  LILIENTHAL 


BY 

LILLIE  BERNHEIMER  LILIENTHAL 


SAN  FRANCISCO 
JOHN  HENRY  NASH 

1921 


' 


t 

In 


THE  DEAREST  AND  SWEETEST  MEMORIES 

ARE  EVANESCENT,  AND  TO  KEEP  ALIVE 

THE  BEAUTIFUL  LIFE  OF  THE  WONDERFUL  FATHER 

I   DEDICATE  THIS  INTIMATE 

RECORD  TO  MY  SON. 


288058 


zA  List  of  Chapters 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

i.  Tout  hand  Education  i 

ii.  'Dresden  i  3 

in.  *Dresden :  A  Pilgrimage  5  2 

iv.  ^Prague  5  7 

v.  Vienna  72 

vi.  Munich  117 

vn.  "Jesse  Warren  Lilienthal:  The  Lawyer  146 

vin.  The  United  Railroads  155 

ix.  ^Patriotism  and  Service  During  the  War  208 

x.  Char  after  and  Private  Life  214 


CHAPTER  I 
Touth  and  Education 

JESSE  WARREN  LILIENTHAL,  born  in  Haverstraw- 
on-the-Hudson,  New  York,  August  2nd,  i855,was 
the  son  of  Max  and  Pepi  Nettre  Lilienthal.  He  was 
one  of  eight  children  —  three  brothers,  Theodore, 
Philip, and  Albert;  and  four  sisters,Eliza, Dinah, Esther, 
and  Victoria;  Dinah  died  in  infancy. 

His  father's  prevailing  characteristic,  notwithstanding 
the  many  obstacles  he  encountered  as  a  young  man,  was 
his  great  optimism,  always  looking  for  final  success.  His 
mother,an  exceptional  woman,  was  more  inclined  to  the 
serious  side  of  life,  of  a  more  doubting  nature,somewhat 
inclined  to  pessimism.  Their  married  life  was  compara- 
tively short,  but  an  exceptionally  happy  and  sympathetic 
one.  Shewasherhusband's  inspiration.  Shewasneverfor- 
gotten,and  her  influence  remained  after  she  had  gone. 

These  two  so  to  speak  contrary  temperaments  ran 
through  the  blood  of  Jesse  Lilienthal, a  serious,  a  very  se- 
rious man  at  times,  but  again  most  optimistic.  Yet  he  did 
not  allow  his  optimism  to  blind  him  to  the  exigencies  of 
the  future,  and  he  always  looked  ahead  endeavoring  to 
avoid  troubles  which  might  be  in  store.  He  had  a  keen 
sense  of  humor,  nothing  he  enjoyed  more  than  a  hearty 
laugh. 

His  father,  the  Rev.  Doctor  Max  Lilienthal,  was  a  Jew- 
ish Minister.  He  occupied  the  pulpit  first  in  New  York 


and  then  for  many  years  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  It  was  in 
the  latter  place  that  most  of  Jesse's  childhood  was  passed. 

From  his  earliest  days  he  combined  in  his  nature  gentle- 
ness and  force,  and  these  traits  he  carried  through  life.  He 
had  often  said  that  he  had  a  fiery  temper,  and  loved  to  tell 
the  story  that  when  a  boy  two  of  his  brothers  teasing  him 
into  a  frenzy,  he  lifted  one  of  them  almost  twice  his  size 
and  tried  to  put  him  on  the  stove.  But  I  never  remember 
seeing  him  hot-headed  or  quick-tempered,  and  so  won- 
derfully did  he  have  his  temper  under  control  that  what 
might  have  proved  a  vice  — this  force  and  determina- 
tion—was so  tempered  by  justice  and  kindness  that  his 
high  spirit  became  a  virtue  and  a  trait  to  be  envied. 

As  a  boy  he  was  full  of  the  joy  of  living,  ready  for  fun 
and  sport,  quite  an  athlete,  but  at  the  same  time  he  was 
a  fine  student  and  proved  that  by  his  standing  in  school. 
He  graduated  with  honors  from  the  Woodward  High 
School,  Cincinnati,  in  1 8  70,  then  entered  the  Cincinnati 
LawSchool  and  at  the  same  time  the  lawoffices  of  Long 
and  Kramer.  After  being  there  a  short  time,  he  felt  that 
he  would  prefer  entering  West  Point,  and  he  made  every 
effort  to  that  end.  His  father  wrote  to  President  Grant, 
Judge  Bellamy  Storer  wrote  to  Hamilton  Fish,  the  then 
Secretary  of  State,  and  both  used  every  effort  with  Con- 
gressman Job  Stevenson,  who  represented  the  District  in 
which  he  lived.  Stevenson  had  already  made  his  appoint- 
ment, but  promised  in  case  his  nominee  failed,"  Lilien- 
thal's  claims  were  to  be  considered  first  of  all."  The  out- 
come was  that  he  became  the  alternate,  but  his  hope  to 


[3] 

enter  West  Point  was  never  realized.  He  continued  the 
study  of  the  law  and  in  1 872,  only  seventeen  years  old, 
he  graduated  from  the  Cincinnati  Law  School. 

His  father,  knowing  the  struggle  and  difficulties  of  a 
professional  career,  although  encouraging  all  his  chil- 
dren to  have  the  very  highest  education,  even  to  that  of 
a  profession,  was  not  anxious  to  have  them  follow  it. 
When  Jesse  wan  ted  to  continue  law  at  Harvard  College, 
his  father  endeavored  to  dissuade  him,  and  proposed  he 
should  take  up  banking.  Jesse  was  intensely  opposed  to 
that  but  at  last  acquiesced,  with  the  proviso  that  after 
one  year's  experience  should  he  still  feel  inclined  to  con- 
tinue his  studies,  his  father  should  offer  no  objection. 
He  then  went  to  New  York,  entered  the  banking  house 
of  J .  &  W.  Seligman,who  were  friends  of  his  father's,and 
when  the  year  elapsed,  notwithstanding  the  most  flatter- 
ing offers  from  the  bank,  both  as  to  salary  and  position, 
nothing  could  persuade  him  to  renounce  the  education 
for  which  he  yearned.  He  never  regretted  his  experi- 
ence, however,  as  it  gave  him  practical  insight  into  big 
undertakings,  which  proved  very  valuable  to  him  as  a 
corporation  lawyer. 

He  entered  Harvard  October  3rd,  1 874,  of  the  Class  of 
'76  —  at  that  time  the  law  course  being  only  two  years. 
Having  entered  Harvard  against  so  much  opposition, and 
having  great  independence  of  spirit,  he  determined  to  be 
as  little  of  a  burden  to  his  father  as  possible,  and  prove 
himself,  and  make  good.  A  scholarship  was  offered  to 
him  at  the  end  of  his  first  year,  and  contrary  to  the  wishes 


[4] 

of  his  family,he  accepted  it,but  with  the  very  first  money 
which  he  made  he  reimbursed  Harvard.  This  is  but  one 
of  his  many  evidences  of  character. 

Just  here  it  seems  to  me  it  maybe  interesting  to  reprint 
an  article  which  he  wrote  for  a  weekly  paper  as  far  back 
as  1880: 

"How  SHALL  WE  MEET  SOCIAL  PERSECUTION. 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  everyone  of  us  has  occasionally 
felt  the  disadvantage  of  asserting  our  religion  in  society. 
We,  all  of  us,  have  been  made  to  feel  the  bitterness  of 
suffering  for  apparent  shortcomings,  over  which  we  had 
no  control,  and  for  which  we  were  not  responsible.  Jew 
is  often  used  as  a  term  of  reproach,  and  each  of  us  has 
felt  the  humiliation  of  being  discriminated  against  as 
such.  I  believe  a  little  experience  that  I  have  had  in  that 
direction  will  be  both  interesting  and  instructive  to  my 
young  friends,  and  I  recall  it  for  their  benefit. 

"  I  had  the  good  fortune,  some  years  ago,  to  attend  one 
of  our  Eastern  universities.  I  came  there  a  perfect  stran- 
ger, without  friends,  without  influence,  without  social 
standing,  but  full  of  eagerness  for  my  work,  and  deter- 
mined, in  spite  of  all  obstacles,  to  succeed.  For  the  first 
six  weeks  of  the  course  I  worked  as  I  never  have  before 
or  since.  During  fourteen  or  fifteen  hours  of  every  day  of 
the  week  I  never  left  my  books.  Probably  none  equaled 
me  in  application,  and  the  result  was,  as  it  always  will 
be  in  such  a  case,  that  I  soon  stood  out  prominently  in 
the  class  as  specially  proficient.  Everyone  was  interested 


to  know  this  young  man  who  shone  forth  so  brightly, 
and  I  was  soon  sought  out  and  courted  on  every  hand. 
No  one  but  was  glad  to  claim  me  as  his  friend,  and  so- 
cially as  well  as  intellectually  I  was  recognized  as  the 
equal  of  the  best  of  them. 

"  One  day,  one  of  those  to  whom  I  had  found  it  easy  to 
specially  attract  to  myself,  innocently  asked  me  to  what 
church  I  belonged.  He wasa  blue-blooded  Bostonian,and 
full  of  that  prejudice  against  the  Jew,  that  the  New  Eng- 
lander,  with  his  limited  opportunities  of  knowing  us,  has 
forour  people.  Imagine  then  this  poor  fellow's  consterna- 
tion when  I  told  him  that  I  wasajew.  He  was  as  if  struck 
by  lightning.  I  might  havesaid  I  had  the  leprosy  or  small- 
pox without  startling  him  half  so  badly.  I  saw  the  impres- 
sion made  upon  him,and  went  away.  In  twenty -four  hours 
the  whole  class  knew  my  religion,  and  I  was  left  to  stand 
absolutely  alone.  Consider  the  sadness  of  my  situation  — 
yesterday, a  general  favorite;  today, a  virtual  outcast. 

"  Strong  as  I  was  in  pride  and  love  for  my  religion, those 
were  trying  times  for  me.  My  college  career  that  had 
begun  so  hopefully  looked  blasted  and  withered,  and 
with  a  heavy  heart  I  sought  forgetfulness  of  this  unkind- 
ness  in  the  performance  of  my  work.  For  two  long  weeks 
I  received  no  recognition  from  my  schoolmates,  save 
occasionally  a  distant  nod,  a  formal  good-morning.  But 
the  Jew  is  proud,  and  never  realizes  his  strength  until  it 
is  tried.  I  passed  these  greetings  by  unnoticed,  avoided 
my  former  companions,  buried  myself  in  my  books,  and 
sought,  harder  than  ever,  to  champion  the  position  I  had 


w 


[6] 

on  in  the  eyes  of  my  professors.  I  succeeded,  but  the  love 
for  my  work  was  gone.  If  this  was  an  indication  of  the 
world's  fairness,  what  prospers  of  success  had  I  when  the 
schoolroom  was  converted  into  the  stage  of  life,  where 
everyone  is  selfish  and  merciless?  I  think  those  two  weeks 
were  the  saddest  of  my  life. 

"  One  day  thereafter,  however,  my  friend  who  had  been 
looking  the  image  of  penitence  for  some  time  mustered 
up  sufficient  courage  to  approach  me.  I  was  writing  at  a 
table  in  the  lecture  room  awaiting  the  entrance  of  a  pro- 
fessor. He  stood  behind  me,  resting  his  arm  upon  my 
shoulder.  'Jesse/  said  he,' I  have  been  making  a  fool  of 
myself.  I  am  not  responsible  for  what  I  did.  I  had  never 
heard  of  a  Jew  that  was  not  a  pickpocket  or  a  receiver 
of  stolen  goods,  and  your  statement  startled  me.  I  hope 
you  will  not  let  that  come  between  us.  I  never  met  a  man 
I  liked  better,  and  we  must  remain  friends.'  'And  yet, 
Will,  it  has  taken  you  a  long  time  to  come  to  that  con- 
clusion,' I  replied.' Well,'  he  protested,'  I  have  been  wait- 
ing for  you  to  behave  like  the  Jew  I  had  pictured,  and 
justify  my  suspicions.'  I  am  proud  but  not  resentful,  and 
there  was  no  mistaking  the  honesty  of  his  repentance. 
He  has  remained  my  best  friend  ever  since. 

"All  my  classmates  soon  followed  his  example,  and 
never  thereafter  failed  to  show  my  popularity  among 
them.  I  was  liked  all  the  better  for  my  honesty  and  my 
self-respect.  The  world  admires  a  man  who  has  the  cour- 
age of  his  convictions.  The  saddest  days  of  my  life  made 
way  for  the  happiest. 


[7] 

"Can  not  all  of  you  take  courage  from  this  incident? 
In  that  very  hot-bed  of  Puritanism  a  Jew,  who  had  no  am- 
bition but  to  do  his  duty,  to  respect  himself,  and,  there- 
fore to  be  a  true  gentleman,  was  received  by  the  most  aris- 
tocratic and  exclusive  people  on  the  continent  as  their 
equal.  Our  aim  must  be  to  teach  the  Gentile  that  thejew 
differs  from  him,  if  at  all,  in  his  religious  opinions  only; 
that  we  are  Americans  as  they  are;  that  we  have  the  same 
code  of  morals  and  the  same  notions  of  right  and  wrong, 
the  same  love  for  the  good  and  the  same  impatience  with 
the  bad;  that,  above  all,  we  have  the  same  sense  of  justice 
and  the  same  sensitiveness  for  pain  or  pleasure.  And  if 
we  appeal  to  them  thus,  as  gentlemen  and  fair-minded 
men,  we  shall  be  certain  to  receive  that  courtesy  and 
fairness,thc  right  to  which,  of  every  man, the  American 
can  never  fail  to  recognize. 

"We  may  have  ourCorbins,our  Hiltons,and  ourLach- 
meyers,  it  is  true.  And  yet  how  small  and  petty  seems 
their  persecution  by  the  side  of  the  applause  and  admi- 
ration that  goes  to  the  Disraelis,  the  Simons,  the  Pereires, 
the  Meyerbeers,  the  Hcines,  the  Laskers,and  the  innu- 
merable others,  who,  in  every  department  of  life,  have 
learnt  to  make  themselves  immortal !  No,  never  fear,  you 
may  occasionally  find  those  moments  of  chagrin  and  dis- 
appointment^ I  did  in  my  good  old  schooldays,  but  like 
me,  too,  you  will  find  those  clouds  but  few  and  small. 
These  moments  must  and  do  give  way  to  many  hours  and 
days  and  years  of  gladness  and  hopefulness." 

And  it  is  true,  no  years  of  his  life  were  happier  than 


[8] 

those  spent  at  Harvard  College.  The  many  friendships 
formed  there  were  lifelong,  and  he  loved  his  Alma  Mater 
as  he  did  few  things  in  life. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Pow Wow  at  Harvard,  a  club 
consisting  of  a  few  selected  law  students  from  the  junior 
and  senior  classes.  The  law  students  called  it  a  "Moot 
Court."  The  two  classes  according  to  their  seniority 
were  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  Superior  Court.  The 
members  from  his  class  were  Theodore  L.Sewall,G.  W. 
VanNest,WilliamThomas,EdwardB.Hill,A.P.Brown, 
Samuel  B.  Clarke,  Edward  D.  Bettens,  R.  Dickey,  J. 
HumphreyHoyt,H.P.Starbuck,A.S.Thayer,S.D.War- 
ren,Jr.,C.W.Wetmore,  L.  D.  Brandeis,  H.  L.  Harding, 
W.  G.  McMillan,  and  Jesse  W.  Lilienthal. 

While  at  college,  not  only  did  he  study  the  law  most 
conscientiously  but  he  took  advantage  of  many  of  the 
academic  courses,  which,  while  a  joy  to  him,  proved  too 
much  of  a  tax,  and  the  consequence  was  disastrous  at  the 
end  of  his  college  career. 

In  1 876,  the  new  HarvardTheatrum  was  to  be  finished 
and  dedicated  with  a  great  celebration.  The  Commence- 
ments of  the  Law  School  and  Academic  Department 
were  to  be  combined.  This  union  was  an  innovation,  and 
for  the  first  time  there  was  to  be  a  law  orator.  By  order 
of  the  faculty  six  students  from  the  graduating  class  were 
to  be  chosen  in  secret  ballot  by  the  student  body  as  best 
fitted  to  represent  the  school.  Jesse  Lilienthal  was  chosen 
one  of  the  six.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the  papers  were 
to  be  read  separately  before  the  full  faculty  of  the  Law 


[9] 

School,  then  consisting  of  seven  law  professors,  together 
with  President  Eliot  who  was  ex  ofKcio  a  member  of  the 

**/ 

faculty;  and  Jesse  Lilienthal  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
chosen  orator  of  his  class,  his  chum,  roommate,  and 
great  friend, Samuel  Clarke, ranking  second.This choice 
was  looked  upon  by  the  students  as  a  great  honor,  as 
many  of  the  Alumni,  State  dignitaries  and  other  nota- 
bles were  to  be  present  at  the  Commencement.  At  the 
end  of  the  term,  from  two  strenuous  work,  Jesse  Lilien- 
thal broke  down  and  was  unable  to  achieve  what  to  him 
was  the  greatest  honorand  opportunity  of  his  life.  Samuel 
Clarke  became  the  orator  in  his  place. 

He  left  college  crushed  in  spirit  and  without  his  degree 
of  LL.B., which  naturally  added  to  his  unhappiness.  His 
health  was  completely  undermined,  and  he  suffered  in- 
tensely from  severe  headaches.  After  try  ing  every  remedy 
that  medicine  could  offer,  in  desperation  he  traveled, first 
in  America,then  in  the  West  Indies,finally  going  abroad. 
The  journal  which  he  wrote  gives  a  picture  of  deter- 
mined effort  to  regain  his  health,  fighting  against  many 
discouragements,  even  to  the  extent  of  feeling  that  life 
was  of  no  more  use  to  him.  Had  it  not  been  for  his  great 
family  affection  and  the  sorrow  it  would  cause  them,  one 
hates  to  think  of  what  might  have  happened.  On  March 
i  5th,  1 877,  Jacksonville,  Florida,  he  writes: 

"It  has  occurred  to  me  that  the  question  of  a  journal  in 
which  to  note  down  the  names  of  acquaintances  made, 
strange  places  seen,and  the  salient  occupation  of  the  day, 
might  be  useful  for  future  references,  and  interesting  as 


[10] 

well,  to  recall  pleasant  reminiscences,  and  as  a  light  oc- 
cupation for  the  time  being,  not  too  great  a  strain  upon 
this  poor  head  of  mine,  and  yet  a  shield  to  ward  off 
gloomy  thoughts. 

"My  position  is  a  peculiar  one,  obliged  way  back  in 
March,  1876,  in  the  midst  of  my  hard  studying,  which 
had  resulted  in  so  many  triumphs  for  me,  consisting  in 
the  public  recognition  they  received  alike  from  profes- 
sor, students,  and  friends,  but  dearest  of  all  in  the  self- 
consciousness  that  I  was  performing  my  whole  duty  and 
reaping  the  great  benefits  that  presence  at  so  great  a  uni- 
versity as  Harvard  is,  afforded,  and  about  to  be  crowned 
with  tangible  evidences  of  my  success — I  left  my  books 
and  instructors,  my  classmates  and  friends,  broken  down 
in  health,  and  crushed  in  spirit  at  the  thought  of  the 
work  left  undone,  and  like  a  Lot  dreading  to  look  back 
upon  Sodom,  turned  my  steps  toward  the  wide  world, 
seeking  the  strength  I  had  sacrificed,  the  consolation 
which  I  felt  would  never  come. 

"I  pass  over  my  wandering  for  the  last  year,  from  sea 
to  mountain  and  from  forest  to  lake.  The  glorious  Atlan- 
tic, the  beautiful  mountains  of  Vermont  and  New  York 
and  the  happy  quiet  lakes  that  they  embosom,  the  lofty 
pines  of  Michigan  and  the  terrible  waters  of  Niagara, 
found  no  response  but  agony  in  a  breast  that  might  have 
loved  them  so  dearly.  Long  Branch,  Middlebury,  his- 
toric oldTiconderoga,  Lake  George,  and  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  New  York,  and  Michigan,  all  saw  me  in  turn,  and 
sent  me  again  on  the  weary  pilgrimage  that  will  not  end. 


In  desperation,  I  came  home.  Could  not  science  accom- 
plish what  nature  left  undone?  For  five  long  months  I 
subjected  myself  to  the  most  heroic  treatment.  Every 
care  that  the  loving  kindness  and  forethought  of  my  dear 
ones  could  have  for  me,  every  effort  that  physicians  most 
eminent  in  their  profession  and  with  special  feelings  of 
anxiety  for  my  recovery,  could  make,  left  me  only  worse 
than  before.  Their  remedies  exhausted,  and  my  patience 
nearly  so,  weak  in  body  and  heavy  in  spirit,  the  early  days 
of  1 87yagain  saw  me  bidding  adieu  to  every  familiar  face 
and  object.  Now  at  Savannah,  then  in  the  Bahamas,  Key 
West  today  and  Cedar  Keys  tomorrow,  tossing  on  the 
tempestuous  waters  that  alone  seemed  to  understand  how 
deep  the  shadow  on  my  soul,  and  how  few  the  sands  of 
hope,  or  whirling  over  hill  and  vale  in  that  most  awful 
of  man's  creation,  the  locomotive  train. 

"I  leave  to  another  day  the  description  of  the  curious 
and  the  beautiful  that  Nature  everywhere  and  at  all  times 
shows  to  him  who  will  but  seek  her.  God  alone  knows 
all  those  terrible  struggles  with  my  own  inclinations  that 
so  many  of  those  days  witnessed.  Is  it  never  justifiable  for 
us  to  anticipate  that  certain  fate  by  our  own  act?  Can  it 
be  the  will  of  a  good  and  merciful  God  (and  I  will  have 
no  other)  that  we  should  suffer  and  bleed  no  matter  how 
slight  the  prospect  of  a  brighter  day  to  come?  I  will  not 
believe  it.  Then  the  prospect  of  that  brighter  time  would 
grow  dimmer  and  dimmer,  and  I  would  sit  down  with  a 
light  heart  to  think  of  the  end  of  my  troubles.  What  has 
bound  me  to  this  world?  The  love  of  my  friends?  There 


[12] 

are  those,  and  if  they  be  but  one  or  two,  who  do  love 
me  honestly  and  deeply,  and  whom  I  dare  not  grieve  by 
my  own  destruction.  I  may  not  realize  my  fond  dreams ; 
I  may  never  find  success  in  those  paths  of  life  in  which 
alone  I  care  to  seek  it;  my  ambitious  energy  may  falter 
and  wilt  in  repeated  failure,  but  I  have  not  the  heart  to 
grieve  those  people.  Oh,  I  can  love  as  no  other!  I  do  so 
yearn  for  it  in  return ;  and  when  I  get  it,  no  sacrifice  is 
great  enough  to  satisfy  the  gratitude  that  goes  out  to  these 
blessed  hearts." 


['3] 

CHAPTER  II 
^Dresden 

GEMALDE  GALLERIE. 

Im    E  TRAVELED  in  the  most  modest  fashion, but 
•     never  missed  an  opportunity  to  see  things 
worth  while,and  notwithstanding  his  physi- 
*    cal  disabilities,  he  made  a  study  of  art,  visit- 
ing the  world's  great  museums  of  painting,  sculpture, 
and  architecture.  In  order  to  get  an  idea  of  the  methods 
he  pursued,  I  quote  from  his  journal  while  in  Dresden, 
Prague,Vienne,  and  Munich.  He  visited  all  the  art  cen- 
ters of  Italy, and  also  the  big  museums  in  Paris  and  Lon- 
don,but  unfortunately,  either  he  kept  no  journal  or  it  has 
been  lost. 

"  May  3/77.  This  morning  we  are  having  snow,  which 
soon  changes  into  rain,  and  in  spite  of  all,  I  am  deter- 
mined to  make  my  first  visit  to  the  Gemdlde  Gallerie 
(Pidture  Gallery),  which  more  than  aught  else  makes 
Dresden  attractive  to  me.  So  under  the  protection  of  my 
Key  West  umbrella,  I  launch  forth  a  little  before  the 
opening  hour,  intending  to  devote  that  time  to  an  ex- 
amination of  the  outside  of  the  Zivinger.  The  Zwinger 
was  inspired  by  August  I  I,who  like  most  European  Mon- 
archs  of  his  day,  was  content  to  take  Louis  XlVas  his 
model  and  ape  his  magnificence  and  luxurious  pomp.  In 
order,  therefore,  to  do  in  a  small  way  what  that  Monarch 
had  done  at  Paris,  Fontainebleau,  and  Versailles,  August 


['4] 

II  planned  the  famous  Zwinger-bau,  which  even  in  its 
present  splendor  is  but  a  small  part  of  what  that  Monarch 
designed,  and  which  like  the  work  of  the  French  King, 
was  an  effort  to  approximate  the  almost  fabulous  mag- 
nificence of  the  Roman  Baths.  The  Zwinger  is  a  large 
polygon,  with  a  great  courtyard  bounded  by  the  different 
buildings  which  compose  it,  each  of  the  main  sides  con- 
taining finest  carved  portals,  and  crowned  with  green- 
roofed  towers  in  the  Rococo  Style.  In  facl,the  superficial 
splendor  of  that  age  runs  all  through  the  building,  al- 
though I  believe,  strictly  speaking,  it  is  built  in  Barock 
Style,  and  the  best  specimen  of  that  style  we  have.  The 
sides  are  one-storied  pavilions,  whose  roofs  form  terraces 
from  which,  over  the  gardens  and  squares  that  surround 
it,  beautiful  views  of  the  Elbe,  Neustadt,  and  the  great 
courtyard  are  had.  The  court  itself,  a  parallelogram,  is 
350  feet  long  and  320  feet  wide,  and  in  the  center  of  it, 
a  magnificent  statue  of  the  2nd  Friedrich  August,  sur- 
named*  The  Just,' whose  fifty-three  years  rule  endeared 
him  perhaps  more  than  any  of  the  Saxon  rulers  before  or 
since  to  his  subjects.  He  is  surrounded  by  four  figures, 
Piety,  Justice,  Wisdom,  and  Moderation,  and  altogether 
presents  one  of  the  finest  pictures  of  the  kind  I  have  seen 
anywhere,  and  is  a  credit  even  to  the  great  Rietschel 
who  modeled  it.  The  Zwinger  as  it  stands  now,  minus 
the  museum, was  built  from  171 1-22  byPoppelmann, 
and  contains  the  Zoological,  Historical,  Natural-Histor- 
ical, Mathematical,  and  Geological  Museums,  together 
with  the  collections  of  gypsum  casts.  Every  where,inside 


and  outside,  statuary,  carvings,  bas-reliefs, and  fountains, 
and  explaining  why  that  with  the  porcelain  manufacture 
(whose  classical  style  is  the  Rococo), have  given  Dresden 
the  name  of  Heimat  des  Rococos  (Home  of  the  Rococo). 
Where  now  the  Zwtnger  stands,  and  which  is  the  whole 
side  of  the  Z winger  facing  the  Elbe,  it  was  the  intention 
of  the  architect  to  build  a  huge  portal,which  was  to  lead 
to  a  plateau  with  two  long-drawn-out  palaces,  connected 
with  galleries,  and  whose  steps  were  to  lead  down  into 
the  Elbe,  affording  the  Saxon  nobility,  I  suppose,  the 
chance  to  bathe  their  limbs  in  the  near  presence  of  roy- 
alty and  its  attendants.  Instead  of  that,  I  suppose  we  may 
well  say  fortunately,  we  have  the  beautiful  museum  in 
the  best  Renaissance  Style,  built  of  granite  and  marble 
and  considered  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  modern 
architecture,  and  like  its  invaluable  contents,  calling 
forth  the  comment  that  here  at  last  is  something  that 
you  cannot  find  in  your  own  country.  It  was  finished  in 
1854,  after  the  plans  of  Semper,  the  most  influential 
architect  of  the  present  day,  who  with  such  men  as  Riet- 
schel,  Schilling,  and  Hahnel  helped  to  give  Dresden  in 
this  century  something  of  the  artistic  activity  and  im- 
portance that  it  possessed  in  the  last. 

"The  museum  is  a  long  building  with  a  passageway 
in  the  center,  leading  right  to  the  monument,  and  to 
the  right  and  left  of  the  passageway's  center  into  the 
Gemdlde  Gallerie  that  in  its  two  stories  compose  its  treas- 
ures. It  is  ornamented  by  sculptures  indicating  the  pur- 
port of  the  building  by  incidents  from  modern  and  an- 


cient  history,  from  Saga  and  Religion.  To  its  left,  while 
waiting  for  the  opening  hour,  10  A.M.,  I  noticed  a  fine 
statue  of  Carl  Maria  von  Weber,  who,  I  believe,  at  one 
time  was  Capell  Meister  (Dire&or)  here.  This,  with  the 
museum  facing  theatre,  Dom,  and  Schloss,  and  in  fact,  al- 
most everything  worth  seeing  in  Dresden,  clusters  about 
this  square. 

"At  last  the  hour  of  opening  arrived,  and  with  just  a 
little  fluttering  of  the  heart,  I  confess,  I  entered  this  beau- 
tiful palace,  containing  one  of  the  finest  art  galleries  in 
the  world,  and  as  far  from  anything  that  I  had  seen  be- 
fore as  we  from  the  sun.  I  could  hardly  make  up  my  mind 
to  pass  the  vestibules,  with  their  finely  sculptured  alle- 
gorical incidents,  but  I  reminded  myself  that  I  was  not 
going  to  spend  a  lifetime  in  Dresden,  and  I  could  not 
give  anytime  to  incidentals.  Already  in  the  hall  leading 
into  the  main  salons,  I  found  some  old  Flemish  pictures 
numbered  2400 !  Just  think  of  it !  Twenty-four  hundred 
pictures  in  one  collection,  all  of  them  of  importance, 
and  many,  very  many  of  them  of  inestimable  value.  I 
confess  I  commenced  to  feel  oppressed  at  the  thought  of 
the  vastness  of  the  attraction  offered  me,  and  felt  almost 
inclined  to  turn  back  for  fear  of  not  doing  justice  to  it. 
As  I  write,  such  a  feeling  seems  ridiculous  enough,  but  it 
was  none  the  less  real  at  the  time.  The  building  (that  is, 
the  first  floor  on  which  the  main  part  of  the  paintings 
are)  is  divided  into  thirteen  large  salons  opening  one  into 
the  other,  and  twenty-one  smaller  side  compartments 
for  the  grouping  of  smaller  pictures,  all  of  course  im- 


. 

mediately  under  skylights,  all  gilded  and  sculptured  and 
helping  the  masterpieces  on  the  wall  to  look  their  best; 
and  indeed  a  general  view  of  the  halls,  a  coup  d'ai/of  the 
salons,  without  a  special  examination  of  any  of  the  pic- 
tures, is  a  sight  alone  to  be  remembered  for  a  lifetime. 
These  salons  are  generally  arranged  according  to  schools 
which  I  shall  indicate  as  I  pass  through  them. 

"The  first  idea  that  occurs  to  one  in  glancing  over 
the  catalogue,  is  one  of  wonder  at  how  it  was  possible 
for  any  one  collection  to  contain  so  many  gems,  and, 
even  though  a  royal  treasury  is  at  the  bottom,  where  all 
the  money  could  come  from  to  buy  it.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  all  the  gems  of  the  gallery,  in  fact, 
almost  every  good  thing  in  it,  was  gathered  in  the  last 
century  when  a  1 00,000  thaler  meant  a  good  deal  more 
than  it  does  now,  and  when  the  then  reigning  monarchs 
in  their  laudable  enthusiasm  for  this  collection  (notably 
August  II  and  1 1 1,  the  latter  a  gem  of  a  prince)  seemed 
willing  to  deprive  themselves  of  every  thing  else,  in  order 
to  make  this  gallery  the  first  in  the  world,  and  they  had 
their  agents  secretly  at  work  in  all  the  large  cities  to 
gobble  up  any  treasure  that  some  hard-pressed  prince 
or  merchant  was  compelled  to  part  with.  Its  beginning 
dates  back  to  the  sixteenth  century,when  a  kunst  hammer 
containing  specimens  of  Durer  and  Cranach  is  written 
of,  but  its  real  importance  dates  from  the  so-called  Mo- 
dena  purchase  made  in  1745  at  which  time  one  hun- 
dred pictures,  the  gallery  of  the  Duke  of  Modena,  were 
secretly  conveyed  to  Dresden  for  the  consideration  of 


1 00,000  sequin,  a  mere  trifle  as  compared  with  the  pres- 
ent value  (if  they  can  be  valued  at  all)  of  the  pictures. 
In  the  last  years  a  Murillo  brought  in  Paris  nearly  600,- 
ooofrancsl  It  is  appalling  to  think  what  millions  such 
such  a  gallery  represents.  This  was  assisted  in  1748  by 
a  purchase  of  sixty-nine  pictures  for  50,000  f/ia/erfrom 
the  Imperial  Gallery  of  Prague,  and  indeed  it  may  be 
said  that  with  the  exception  of  a  few  important  acqui- 
sitions occasionally  made  since,  the  gallery  had  its  pres- 
ent importance  at  the  close  of  the  reign  of  August  III. 
"Well,  I  find  myself  in  Room  H,with  representatives 
of  the  Neapolitan,  Genoese,  and  Spanish  Schools,  and  I 
have  convinced  myself  inside  of  a  half-hour  that  while 
one  is  far  from  delighted  with  everything,  it  would  be 
easy  for  one  as  anxious  as  I  am  to  learn  something  fun- 
damental about  art  to  examine  pictures  carefully  as  to 
conception,  execution,  color,  perspective,  character,  and 
a  hundred  other  things  that  have  suggested  themselves 
to  me  in  the  course  of  my  wanderings  through  the  mu- 
seum, to  spend  a  year  in  the  study  of  it,  if  one's  strength 
and  health  would  permit  of  the  great  strain  upon  them 
that  my  first  day's  examination  imposed.  It  is  not  satis- 
factory, but  wise,  I  conclude,  for  one  to  have  the  opin- 
ion of  experts  as  to  what  are  the  greater  attractions,  and 
dwell  for  any  considerable  length  of  time  on  them,  giv- 
ing the  others  a  hurried  view  only,  and  this  is  so,  be- 
cause often  after  the  most  searching  investigation  that 
I  was  capable  of  giving  to  a  picture,  and  lasting  perhaps 
fifteen  minutes,  I  would  convince  myself  that  it  had  no 


f  [  '9  ] 

very  great  merit.  In  a  gallery  of  2400  pictures  this  is 
not  profitable.  In  this  salon  the  Italian  Luca  Giordano 
and  the  Spaniard  Ribera  were  represented,  both  afford- 
ing much  that  was  good;  even  the  former  who  to  eclipse 
his  rivals  would  paint  great  historical  events  in  twenty- 
four  hours,  as,  for  instance,  the  Death  of  Seneca  that  he 
has  here.  In  his  choice  of  subjects,  particularly,  he  is 
more  happy  than  many  of  the  best  painters  of  1550- 

1 650,  and  it  is  quite  a  relief  to  find  events  from  Grecian 
Mythology  and  even  the  Old  Testament,  as  a  set-oft0  to 
Adorations,Crucifixions,and  horrible  Martyrdoms.  Ri- 
bera strikes  me  as  an  artist  of  a  higher  rank,  and  his 
St.  Mary  of  Egypt,  kneeling  in  prayer,  is  really  delight- 
ful, and  her  face  would  prove  an  excellent  substitute  in 
my  opinion  for  many  of  the  Madonna  faces,  even  those 
of  highest  repute,  which  too  often  in  attempting  to 
portray  spirituality  and  purity,  only  succeed  in  giving 
us  blankness  and  stupidity.  Salvator  Rosa  is  represented 
here  by  a  shipwreck,  but  I  must  confess  that  I  felt 
disappointed  in  not  being  able  to  become  enthusiastic. 
Zurbaran  has  a  picture  here,  not  equal  to  what  I  have 
seen  of  him  in  Montpensier's  collection,  and  Murillo  a 
Madonna  and  Child, which  I  did  not  like,  but  a  splen- 
did Martyrdom  of  Rodriquez,  in  which  the  Saint  stands 
there  with  throat  already  cut  and  the  famous  Episcopal 
garments  —  the  Murillo  vesture  (now  in  Seville)  —  and 
truly  he  has  immortalized  the  elegant  gown  by  this  fine 
picture  of  it. 

.  "In  Room  I,  into  which  I  passed  now,  the  Spanish 


[20] 

SchooliscontinuedbyVelasquez,andtheFlemish  School 
begun  by  selections  from  Rubens, Van  Dyck,  and  Jor- 
daens,  and  in  the  expectation  raised  by  these  names  I 
was  not  disappointed.  The  Dutch  and  Flemish  School 
is  remarkably  strong  in  this  collection,  and  the  i  ooo 
pictures  which  represent  it,  include  some  of  its  very  best, 
and  exhaust  many  rare  but  excellent  masters.  Portraits 
by  Velasquez  and  Van  Dyck !  I  can  imagine  nothing 
more  interesting,  and  I  do  not  believe  any  of  the  mas- 
ters, not  even  Rembrandt  and  Titian,  splendid  as  I  have 
found  them  both  in  that  regard  here,  can  equal  them. 
One  feels  certain  that  these  people  must  have  lived  and 
that  in  the  slightest  particular  the  pictures  are  accurate. 
I  looked  at  these  severe  old  Castilian  Counts  and  Cap- 
tains of  Velasquez,  until  I  had  almost  convinced  myself 
that  I  had  seen  and  known  these  very  men.  Unfortu- 
nately, they  have  but  three  portraits  by  him,  but  then 
they  have  an  abundance  of  Van  Dyck,  and  here  at  least 
I  could  feast  my  weakness  for  fine  portraits.  They  have 
nineteen  pictures  in  all  from  him,  and  of  these  I  liked 
none  so  well  as  his  portraits,  particularly  those  of  the 
three  children  of  Charles  I,  the  painter  Martin  Ryc- 
kaert,  and  the  Baron  von  Wemmel  (the  Knight  Engel- 
bert  Taie). 

"Then  comes  Papa  Rubens,  and  the  delights  that  his 
many  masterpieces  that  this  gallery  has  secured  and  af- 
fords one  are  as  intoxicating  as  the  good  old  Holland 
gin  to  which  certainly  he  was  not  strange.  They  have 
thirty-five  originals  by  him,  some  of  which  when  com- 


[21] 

pared  with  most  of  the  others  seem  to  come  from  a  dif- 
ferent hand,  but  the  majority  of  them  have  a  clearness 
and  a  strength  and  many  of  them  a  humor  and  beauty 
that  make  his  school  one  by  itself.  Of  the  more  famous 
pictures,  the  Judgment  of  Paris  is  here,which  I  have  not 
yet  learned  to  like,  a  splendid  wild  boar  hunt,  a  Diana 
returning  from  a  chase,  looking  too  subdued  and  beau- 
tiful almost,  to  come  from  this  constant  painter  of  Bac- 
chuses  and  Sileneses,  and  what  in  my  eyes  is  the  most 
admirable  of  all,  the  portrait  of  his  own  two  sons,  which 
is  really  bewitching.  The  devilish  roguery  in  the  spark- 
ling eye  of  the  older  (who,  I  will  warrant  you,  took 
mainly  after  the  father)  and  the  subdued  thoughtful  air 
on  the  sweet  face  of  the  younger,  must  be  seen  in  order 
to  appreciate  the  magnetic  effect  it  produces.  I  could 
not  leave  its  side. 

"Jordaens  ( Jaques),  a  pupil  of  Rubens,  is  also  well  rep- 
resented here.  His  best  work  is  the  Diogenes  in  the 
Market,  in  which  one  face  is  more  interesting  than  the 
other,  and  that  of  Diogenes, who  seems  to  retort,with  a 
sort  of  half  sneer  and  half  gratification  to  find  his  theo- 
ries confirmed,  to  the  mirth-provoked  crowd  that  jeers 
at  the  old  man  as  he  passes  through  it,  a  perfect  study. 
His  Prodigal  Son  is  also  powerfully  executed,  although 
it  is  noticeable  how  these  painters,  even  to  their  Christs 
and  Madonnas,  will  take  their  models  from  their  own 
people,and  all  their  faces  will  be  Dutch,  Italian,  Spanish, 
or  German,  according  to  the  nationality  of  the  painter. 
The  fewest  of  them  can  escape  this  criticism. 


[22] 

"  I  had  no  w  only  D utch  and  Flemish  pi&ures  to  occupy 
me  in  addition  to  the  former.  Rembrandt  commenced 
to  show  himself,  and  here  too,  I  found  the  gallery  ex- 
tremely rich:  twenty  originals,  among  those  the  univer- 
sally known  portrait  of  himself  with  his  beautiful  first 
wife,  Sachia  van  Nylenburgh,  on  his  lap  (who,  by  the 
way,  frequently  serves  him  as  model)  and  a  great  many 
strong  portraits.  The  Entombment  of  Christ,  one  of  his 
more  noted  ones,  is  here,  but  I  must  examine  it  again 
before  I  can  make  up  my  mind  about  it.  As  yet  I  have 
not  learned  to  like  it. 

"Here  I  found  Snyders, De Long, Hals, Harthorst,and 
Victors,  many  of  them  giving  us  fine  paintings,  but  not  of 
that  surpassing  excellence  which  will  justify  my  dwell- 
ing upon  them  by  the  side  of  more  prominent  masters. 

"As  I  pushed  on,  I  found  in  addition  to  masters  men- 
tioned before,  specimens  from  Mierevelt  von  der  Hoist, 
C.  von  Everdingen,  A.  Cuyp,  Pottenburg,  mostly  por- 
traits and  collections  of  fruit,  flowers,  and  dead  game, 
still-life  pictures,  and  an  excellent  picture  by  Von  der 
Meer:  two  groups  consisting  of  an  old  man  and  woman 
on  a  balcony  enjoying  the  mischief  going  on  in  the  sec- 
ond group,  in  which  a  cavalier  is  kissing  a  buxom  lass 
leaning  over  a  table  covered  with  a  finely  painted  Persian 
carpet,  and  pressing  a  gold  piece  into  her  hand, which 
she  does  not  seem  at  all  reluctant  to  accept.  The  pic- 
ture is  full  of  animation.  Everdingen's  Flora,  Pomona, 
Bacchus,  and  Amor  is  here  too,  but  I  am  not  particu- 
larly well  pleased  with  it.  It  seems  that  the  Dutch  School 


commenced  to  seek  other  objects  for  their  brushes  to  im- 
mortalize, than  spiritual  scenes,  and  this  is  one  of  their 
most  attractive  features.  Their  portraits  are  unsurpassed, 
and  their  landscapes  commence  in  certain  artists,  to 
whom  I  have  still  to  come,  to  assume  quite  formidable 
proportions. 

"Some  fruits  and  flowers  by  De  Reem,who  seems  to 
be  the  painter  par  excellence  of  this  class  of  picture,  and 
then  I  am  in  the  presence  of  some  of  the  rarities  even 
of  this  rare  gallery.  First  and  foremost,  the  picture  that 
with  the  SLxtine  Madonna  of  Raphael's,  towers  above 
everything  else  in  the  collection,  the  Madonna  of  Hol- 
bein. This  picture  was  painted  by  Holbein  for  Jacob 
Meyer,  the  Burgomaster  of  Basle,  whose  family  it  rep- 
resents under  the  protection  of  the  Virgin,  Meyer  and 
his  two  sons  on  one  side,  his  wife  with  her  mother  and 
daughter  on  the  other,  all  of  which  figures  in  my  eyes 
make  up  the  value  of  the  picture,  although  the  Virgin 
is  much  nearer  my  notion  of  the  Catholic  Queen  than 
most  of  the  creations  of  that  century  bring  her.  The 
Child  God  is  to  me  somewhat  incomprehensible.  If  the 
idea  intended  to  be  conveyed  by  the  expression  on  his 
face  is  that  of  pain  at  the  thought  of  the  great  respon- 
sibility he  is  assuming  in  undertaking  the  redemption 
of  the  human  race,  I  do  not  quite  find  that  the  artist 
has  given  us  a  perfect  representation.  I  can  at  least  give 
him  credit  for  an  idea  which  to  me  seems  as  natural  in 
God,  even  though  he  be  babe,  as  it  is  unusual  among 
the  Child  Christs  of  all  the  artists  I  have  seen.  If  that  be 


not  the  idea,  I  can  only  say  that  he  has  given  the  Child 
the  face  of  one  sick,  thereby  withdrawing  from  the  gen- 
eral grandness  which  pervades  the  picture.  The  other 
figures  are  masterpieces.  It  is  somewhat  unpleasant  to 
think  that  some  artists  contend  that  this  picture  is  only 
a  copy  of  the  original  in  Darnstadt,  and  though  Dr. 
Hubner,  the  director  of  the  gallery, stoutly  protests  and 
argues  against  such  a  theory,  contending  that  at  most  it 
is  a  later  production  of  the  artist,  and  of  greater  ideality, 
I  am  quite  willing  to  enjoy  the  thing  for  its  intrinsic 
beauty, whether  copy  or  original.  Next  to  it,  however,  is 
a  portrait  of  Henry  VII I's  Goldsmith,  which  in  its  mas- 
terly excellence  may  be  enjoyed  by  all  in  the  perfect  con- 
sciousness that  they  are  seeing  the  work  of  Holbein's 
own  hands,  and  by  which  one  learns  readily  to  believe 
that  Holbein  was  the  first  portrait  painter  of  his  age. 
Like  all  portraits,  it  can  stand  very  little  description,  but 
every  hair  of  the  man's  head,  every  vein  on  his  flesh,  testi- 
fies to  its  excellence.  There  are  other  specimens  of  the 
same  master,but  none  that  approach  these  two, and  I  pass 
them  by. 

"  Albrecht  Durer  has  four  or  five  works  here,  of  which 
the  one  considered  his  best  is  the  Crucifixion,  a  small 
eight  by  ten  inch  picture  with  Christ  alone  on  the  Cross. 
More  upon  a  more  careful  examination. 

"Here,  too,  is  to  be  found  the  Virgin  of  Van  Eyck 
(founder  of  the  school  and  inventor  of  oil  painting),  con- 
sidered the  gem  of  the  Flemish  School,  and  while  I  am 
far  from  admitting  that,  there  is  no  withholding  one's 


admiration  from  the  work  of  an  artist  who  way  back  in 
the  1 4th  century  with  so  little  light  thrown  upon  his 
work  by  discoveries  of  contemporaries,  could  yet  make 
so  spiritual  a  creation. 

"  I  came  now  to  the  small  rooms  containing  the  smaller 
pictures,  instead  of  entering  the  more  pretentious  part 
of  the  collection.  It  was  late  and  I  thought  I  would  leave 
that  until  I  felt  brighter.  Here  I  found  specimens  of  older 
andyoungerCranach,Grossaert,Memling,andothernot 
prominent  Dutchmen,  and  having  examined  a  single  of 
the  twenty-one  rooms,  determined  to  spend  the  last  half 
hour  before  the  closing  one  (4  p.  M.)  with  the  Queen  of 
the  Gallery,  the  great  SixtineMadonna,which  in  a  salon 
by  itself,  magnificently  mounted,  almost  equals  in  worth 
in  my  eyes  the  whole  gallery  put  together.  I  was  quite 
familiar  with  the  picture,  having  had  an  excellent  en- 
graving of  it  over  my  desk  in  mystudyinCambridge,and 
more  than  once  of  a  night  when  tired  of  my  work,  laid 
books  aside  and  devoured  this  picture,  and  it  was  not  nec- 
essary, therefore,  as  no  doubt  it  would  have  been  other- 
wise, for  me  now  to  allow  the  picture  to  grow  upon  me.  I 
had  long  since  learned  to  delight  in  the  wonderful  purity 
and  spirituality  of  Mary,  the  sad  wisdom  of  the  Child's 
deep  eyes,  the  ecstasy  of  the  Holy  Sixtus,  who  is  almost 
overcome  with  the  brilliancy  of  the  apparition,  and  the 
subdued  but  for  all  that  intense  piety  and  holiness  of  the 
beautiful  Santa  Barbara.  We  all  know  the  delightful  in- 
nocence of  the  two  cherubs  who  gaze  up  into  the  clouds 
which  are  carrying  the  Virgin  heavenward,  as  if  though 


[26] 

accustomed  to  the  magnificence  of  Paradise,  they  had 
never  yet  seen  anything  quite  so  beautiful  as  this  ascen- 
sion. Such  a  picture  as  this  more  than  all  bishops  and 
priests  in  the  world  points  out  to  us  the  beauties  of  the 
Catholic  Faith,  and  tells  me  that  if  it  were  possible  for 
me  to  be  a  Catholic  at  all,  I  could  be  an  enthusiastic  one, 
and  I  can  now  understand  why  Raphael  was  so  adored 
by  his  contemporary  Pope.  This  worship  of  saints  is  at 
least  as  much  an  improvement  on  the  beautiful  romantic 
Grecian  Mythology  as  a  virtuous  and  pure  strong  man 
is  an  improvement  on  an  unscrupulous  strong  man.  I 
wonder  whether  I  shall  ever  have  satisfied  myself  with 
looking  at  this  picture! 

"I  returned  home  feeling  that  I  had  done  a  good  day's 
work,  and  having  made  arrangements  with  my  landlady 
to  supply  me  a  cup  of  tea  in  the  evening  as  modestly  as 
she  does  the  coffee  in  the  morning,  I  gulped  down  a  pot 
of  that  and  was  good  for  very  little  that  evening.  Spas- 
modic attempts  to  read,  then  write,  then  read  again,  de- 
veloped into  nothing  more  serious,  and  I  find  that  I  am 
gradually  growing  so  nervous  that  I  am  unfit  not  only 
to  work,  but  to  remain  idle  as  well,  and  I  go  about  a  mis- 
erable wreck,  unfit  to  live. 

"  May4/77.  A  poor  night's  rest  brings  me  to  my  break- 
fast and  that  to  my  day's  plans,  which  I  soon  develop  into 
a  second  visit  to  the  museum,  as  I  concluded  that  this 
was  about  the  only  thing  in  Dresden  to  which  I  felt 
strongly  drawn.  At  9: 3  o  I  am  on  the  way,  this  time  mak- 
ing a  new  cut,  which  will  enable  me  to  see  the  famous 


Bruhr sche  terrace  just  this  side  of  the  Dom.  I  stop  to  ex- 
amine a  curious  collection  of  figures  which  I  find  against 
the  wall  on  the  Moritz  Place,  near  the  botanical  gardens. 
This,  it  appears,  is  a  memorial  to  the  Elector  Maurice, 
who  having  delivered  (all  here  in  figures)  the  state  scep- 
ter to  his  brother  August,  his  successor,  went  out  and 
defeated  the  enemy  at  Sievershausen,  but  fell  himself, 
though  victor.  Just  opposite  the  Elbe,  and  at  the  foot  of 
the  terrace,  is  the  Synagogue,  a  fine  Roman  structure 
built  after  the  plans  of  Semper.  In  the  midst  of  neatly 
planned  garden  plots  and  shade  trees,  one  ascends  the 
stone  steps  that  lead  to  the  terrace  and  follows  the  Elbe 
for  about  one-eighth  mile  that  lies  between  the  Syn- 
agogue and  Z)o///(far  enough,  I  hope,  to  advoid  quarrel- 
ing). It  is  a  fine  broad  stone  walk,  illuminated  at  night  by 
the  lamps  and  crystal  jets  of  the  Belvedere.  Down  forty- 
one  steps  of  stone  we  are  led  to  the  square  on  which 
palace  and  Dom  face;  on  the  balustrades  four  marble  fig- 
ures by  Schilling,  personifying  Night,  Morning,  Noon, 
and  Evening. 

"Once  again  I  entered  the  museum,  made  at  once  for 
that  part  of  the  Italian  collection  which  illustrates  the 
Bolognese  School,  and  cautioned  by  the  little  progress 
made  the  day  before,  tried  to  do  the  thing  more  expedi- 
tiously.  Here  I  found  Barbieri,  commonly  called  Guer- 
cino,well  represented,  and  although  his  subjects  are  well 
chosen,  and  his  works  pretentious,  I  do  not  think  that  he 
succeeds  in  what  he  undertakes;  another  instance  of  tal- 
ent not  keeping  pace  with  ambition.  He  seems  to  have 


[28] 

had  many  noble  patrons,  and  probably  worked  too  fast  to 
amass  their  sequins. 

"The  two  Caraccis  are  well  represented  in  the  gallery 
and  gives  us  occasionally  things  that  we  do  not  look  for  in 
those  so  little  known  to  the  amateur,  particularly  the  St. 
Rochus  Dispensing  Alms  by  AnnibaleCaracci,which  has 
some  really  striking  figures  bowed  down  by  plague  but 
finding  strength  and  comfort  in  the  charity  of  the  saint. 

"ThenGuidoReni,whoofcourseisuniversallyknown, 
but  for  whose  wonderful  productions  contained  in  this 
gallery  I  was  hardly  prepared.  Perhaps  the  most  cele- 
brated is  his  Semiramide  and  Venus,  no  doubt  a  very  fine 
painting,  but  in  my  opinion  hardly  to  be  compared  with 
the  wonderful  beauty  of  his  equally  well-known  Ecce 
Homo  (head  of  Christ  with  the  crown  of  thorns)  and  the 
less  generally  known  Christ  appearing  to  Mary  after  his 
resurrection,  full  of  pathos  and  subdued  passion. 

"From  here  I  passed  into  the  Venetian  School,  and 
among  Paul  Veronese,Titian,Giorgione,andTintoretto 
surely  was  opportunity  for  a  very  Bacchanalian  revel.  In 
the  former,  in  particular,  I  consider  the  gallery  particu- 
larly strong  (and  after  Raphael,  Angelo  is  quite  strange 
to  me  in  the  painting).  I  like  none  so  well  as  him,  not 
even  Correggio.  The  splendid  coloring  of  his  pictures, 
the  brilliant  grouping  of  his  characters,  their  clear  cut 
outlines  and  the  real  beauty  of  his  Madonnas,  distinguish 
them  from  all  others,  and  after  I  had  seen  one,  I  found 
that  I  could  recognize  them  all,  though  except  in  these 
general  characteristics  I  found  them  in  no  respect  mo- 


notonous.  The  Finding  of  Moses,  the  Blessing  of  the 
Cocina  Family,  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi, the  Presen- 
tation of  the  Infant  Jesus  in  theTemple,  the  Carrying  of 
the  Cross,  are  all  masterpieces,and  indeed  I  might  men- 
tion almost  everyone  of  his  pictures  in  the  same  cate- 
gory without  doing  violence  to  what  I  have  of  artistic 
judgment.  Titian,  too,  though  generally  in  a  less  degree, 
proved  himself  the  master  that  my  art  reading  led  me 
to  expert  of  him.  His  world-renowned  Tribute  Money, 
a  small  but  intensely  powerful  picture,  and  what  affords 
the  most  pleasure,  his  Virgin,  Child,  and  Joseph  receiv- 
ing the  Adoration  of  Alphonso  I  of  Ferrara,and  Lucrezia 
Borgia,  the  latter  two  in  particular  having  all  the  excel- 
lence that  the  quite  numerous  collection  of  his  portraits 
to  be  found  here  all  possess  —  the  same  vivid  coloring 
that  seems  to  be  a  feature  of  the  Venetian  School,  and 
then  the  great  clearness  and  distinctness  to  be  found  in 
the  slightest  detail  even  of  dress.  I  might  look  for  an 
hour  at  a  time,  it  seemed  to  me,  at  a  lace  collar  that  you 
would  find  on  the  neck  of  a  Venetian  lady. 

"Barbarelli's  (Giorgione)  Jacob  Saluting  Rachel  is 
here  among  others,  and  a  number  by  Robusti  (Tinto- 
retto), but  while  both  of  these  have  strong  and  individ- 
ual features,  I  could  not  find  a  single  painting  of  either 
that  quite  satisfied  me. 

"FERRARESE  AND  LOMBARD  SCHOOLS. 

"At  the  head  of  these,!  suppose  without  doubt  Allegri 
(Correggio)  will  be  placed,  and  certainly  so  far  as  repute 


[30] 

goes  one  has  ample  opportunity  to  determine  the  justice 
or  injustice  of  it  in  Dresden.  His  most  famous  picture 
La  Notte,that  is,  the  Adoration  of  the  Child  at  Night, 
is  here,  and  besides  the  universally  copied  Reclining 
Magdalen  reading  (which  I  have  not  yet  seen ) ;  then  the 
Virgin  and  Child  with  Sebastian  and  Rochus,  the  same 
with  George,  Peter,and  John,  and  the  same  with  Francis 
Anthony,  John, and  Catherine,  I  confess  that  I  am  dis- 
appointed; while  expecting  everything,  I  found  much 
to  be  sure,  particularly  in  the  first  of  the  last  named  three, 
and  a  very  great  deal  in  all,  and  perhaps  would  have  found 
most  of  them  admirable  if  found  under  a  less  pleasant 
name.  But  I  confess  I  found  none  of  the  Virgins,  except 
the  Rochus',  to  my  taste,all  the  Christs  poor  and  the  real 
strength  of  the  pictures  in  the  Saints  (especially  Cath- 
erine, who  among  all  painters  is  handsomer  than  the 
Virgin)  and  the  general  bold  and  lively  tone,  particu- 
larly in  La  Notte.  If  only  the  Virgin  could  have  been 
given  a  different  face,  I  believe  I  should  have  been  in 
raptures,  for  really  the  general  reflection  on  faces  of  the 
shepherds  and  objects  about  of  the  halo  from  Christ's 
face  is  extremely  beautiful,  and  so  with  occasional  ex- 
ceptions I  might  say  as  much  for  all  his  pictures  here, 
but  in  these  exceptions  I  have  found  my  disappointment. 
"I  was  as  agreeably  surprised  with  Dosso  Dossi  (who 
had  been  hardly  known  to  me)  as  I  was  disagreeably 
with  Correggio,  and  found  grace  and  beauty  in  a  new 
quarter.  These  discoveries  are  all  the  more  pleasant  be- 
cause they  make  us  conscious  that  after  all,  though  trav- 


[3'] 

eling  costs  much  time  and  money,  it  helps  us  materially 
to  fill  the  many  gaps  in  our  education.  The  same  applies 
with  somewhat  diminished  force  to  Tisio,  better  known 
among  artists  as  Garofalo,  as  indeed  most  of  the  mas- 
ters in  art  studies  generally  lose  their  family  names  and 
acquire  that  of  the  place  which  is  the  scene  of  their  birth 
or  efforts  in  art.  Of  course  we  are  better  prepared  for 
the  excellence  of  Andrea  del  Sarto,and  in  his  Abraham's 
Sacrifice  and  Christ's  Betrothal,  inter  alios,  we  find  a  real 
relief  from  numerous  less  prominent  painters  in  whose 
company  he  finds  himself.  Fortunately,  there  is  much 
less  of  this  sort  of  thing  than  one  would  expecl:  to  find 
in  so  large  a  gallery,  and  what  there  is  excusable  and 
even  desirable,  as  offering  one  the  opportunity  to  study 
the  development  of  painting  through  its  various  stages  of 
progress,  and  further  offering  as  my  own  experience  has 
shown  me,  a  good  opportunity  to  extract  the  real  merits 
from  a  Reni  orGiorgione  by  contrasting  his  works  with 
those  of  less  famous  contemporaries.  I  found  a  remark- 
ably strong  painting  from  an  artist  hitherto  unknown 
to  me,  Buonvicino,viz.,Maryas  she  appeared  in  Italy 
( 1 5  20)  at  the  time  of  the  pest,  expressing  with  a  wonder- 
ful accuracy  that  love  and  sympathy  for  the  human  race 
that  one  must  exped:  from  the  Catholic's  Mary. 

"Apidturewhich  Hubner  values  as  one  of  the  finest 
of  the  collection  is  the  Altar  Piece  of  Ramenghi  (Bagna- 
cavallo), Virgin  and  Child  on  clouds,  and  below,  four 
Saints — I  have  hardly  learned  as  yet  to  rank  it  as  high  as 
he  does,  though  finding  much  beauty  in  it  (as  amateur 


[32] 

I  cannot  speak  of  merit,  but  must  confine  myself  to  the 
sensuous  effects). 

"It  will  not  do  to  dwell  upon  the  works  of  every  mas- 
ter here,  and  I  find  I  must  content  myself  with  only  a 
passing  word  even  for  the  most  prominent  ones,  and 
therefore,  pass  on  to  the 

"FLORENTINE  SCHOOL. 

"Here,  of  course,  we  look  for  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  of 
whom  unfortunately  the  gallery  possesses  but  a  single 
work,  and  that  a  very  early  one,  remarkable  for  nothing 
but  delicacy  in  execution.  Something  of  the  excellence 
of  the  master  appears  in  a  copy  they  have  here  of  his 
Herodias  with  the  head  of  St.  John,  even  in  the  dupli- 
cate looking  worthy  of  so  great  a  hand  as  his  own.  A 
single  Lorenzo  di  Credi,  and  no  Michael  Angelo,  but 
a  fine  copy  of  the  latter's  Leda  and  the  Swan,  giving  us, 
I  think,  the  handsomest,  most  captivating,  female  in  the 
whole  collection,  and  making  one  feel  all  the  more  how 
great  a  gap  right  here  the  museum  has.  Among  others 
we  have  two  magnificent  Carlo  Dolci's  here:  St.  Cecilia 
at  the  Organ  and  Christ  Blessing  Bread  and  Wine. 

"ROMAN  SCHOOL. 

"At  the  head  of  which  stands,  of  course,  Raphael  Santi, 
but  in  this  department  we  have  nothing  of  him  except 
copies,and  thosel  do  not  like,  excepting  the  well-known 
Madonna  della  Sedia,avast  deal  finer  than  La  belle  Jar- 
diniere, also  much  noted  but  never  to  my  taste.  Among 


[33] 

the  better  known  of  the  same  School  we  find  here  also 
Sassoferrato  and  Battoni. 

"In  traversing  some  of  the  smaller  halls  rather  hur- 
riedly during  the  afternoon  (I  was  too  tired  to  study  the 
paintings  critically  any  longer),  I  found  Albano  worthy  of 
emphasis;  a  fine  picture  of  Domenichino,  the  only  one 
the  gallery  possesses;  Charity,  which  I  should  imagine 
has  inspired  Kaulbach's  by  the  same  name— at  least  the 
former  gives  us  all  and  more  than  the  latter  does;  Palma 
Vecchio,  too,  gives  us  his  three  daughters  (beautiful  wo- 
men) as  models  in  several  fine  pictures,  notably  in  the 
Three  Sisters.  Palma  Giovine  hardly  sustained  the  repu- 
tation of  the  great-uncle. 

"Having  bid  adieu  to  the  Italians  again,  with  a  good 
look  at  Cignani's  Joseph  and  Potiphar,  which  well  de- 
served it,  I  found  in  pushing  on  my  first  French  names, 
in  which  indeed  the  gallery  seems  rather  pauvre  (is  it  the 
fault  of  the  Frenchmen  ?)  and  sawsome  pretty  landscapes 
by  Claude  Lorrain  and  Poussin,  left  them  and  was  once 
again  with  my  old  Dutch  friends,  and  found  such  impor- 
tant acquisitions  as  Teniers,  Ruysdael,  and  Wouverman 
before  I  had  gone  far.  I  have  not  yet  finished  with  these 
artists,  but  as  far  as  I  have  gotten  I  find  that  Teniers 
(of  course  the  younger)  gives  us  pretty  little  scenes  from 
Dutch  life  among  peasantry  and  soldiery,  attempting 
nothing  very  alarming  and  yet  always  giving  us  neat, 
pretty  little  views,  painted  in  great  minuteness.  Wou- 
verman has  a  great  many  paintings  here,  and  his  land- 
scapes and  military  fights  deserve  almost  the  same  com- 


[34] 

ment  that  Teniers'  do,  except  that  perhaps  they  have  an 
increased  softness  and  smoothness. 

"  Some  very  bold  attempts  at  landscape  painting  by  the 
other  Everdingen  already  indicate  a  better  day  coming 
from  the  landscape  painters,  and  I  dare  say  that  when  I 
come  to  Ruysdael,  I  shall  find  that  time  still  more  dis- 
tinctly foreseen.  I  was  really  too  tired  to  continue  the 
sport  any  longer,  so  going  upstairs  to  take  a  glance  at  the 
splendid  thirteen  tapestries  they  have  here,  six  of  them 
made  after  well-known  drawings  by  Raphael  and  the 
other  seven  it  is  contended,  at  least  in  part,  after  car- 
toons of  Quentin  Massys,  all  Netherlanders  and  as  dis- 
tinct almost  as  drawings  or  paintings,  and,  therefore, 
much  more  wonderful  works  of  art — general  dimensions 
about  one  hundred  square  feet— I  was  too  tired  to  stand 
any  more  work  for  that  day  and  therefore  close  here  its 
recital. 

"May5/77.  I  woke  up  without  much  ambition  for 
anything  this  morning,  and  if  I  had  not  considered  it  a 
sort  of  duty  to  see  all  that  there  was  in  Dresden,  and  that 
as  soon  as  possible,  so  that  all  remaining  time  might  be 
devoted  to  a  second  view  of  that  which  was  most  see- 
worthy,  I  do  n't  think  I  could  have  been  drawn  out  of 
the  house.  Upon  consulting  the  list  of  collections  that 
I  had  made,  with  the  times  of  access,  I  concluded  that 
I  had  better  take  this  morning  to  examine  the  Grune 
Gewalbe  (green  vaults)  in  the  Royal  Palace,  where  the 
royal  treasures  are  kept.  I  was  on  hand  at  9  A.  M.,the 
opening  hour,  and  soon  was  admitted  to  the  millions 


[35] 

upon  millions  that  are  collected  here.  If  one  does  not 
get  the  supremest  contempt  for  gold  and  silver  and  the 
rarest  precious  stones  from  visiting  these  vaults,  one  must 
be  a  hopeless  case  of  miser,  for  there  is  such  a  profusion 
of  every  thing  that  one  has  until  now  considered  rare  and 
precious  that  finally  you  do  n't  care  to  examine  these 
gems  in  detail  at  all,  and  if  you  can't  find  a  sapphire  as 
large  as  your  fist  and  a  diamond  as  large  as  a  robin's  egg, 
you  pass  it  by  with  a  feeling  of  fatigue  at  being  bored  with 
anything  so  insignificant.  I  don't  believe  old  Richard 
would  have  offered  this  kingdom  for  a  horse,  unless  per- 
haps he  would  mean  the  horse  that  battered  down  the 
walls  of  Troy, which  I  confess  must  have  been  larger  than 
anything  I  saw  here  this  morning.  As  you  enter  Vault 
No.  i,  you  are  confronted  with  a  roomful  of  bronzes, 
which  is  the  least  interesting  and  least  valuable  of  the 
collections  here,  and  deserves  no  special  mention.  The 
next  room  is  the  collection  of  works  in  ivory,  and  is  the 
first  step  in  the  climax  which  is  unbroken  up  to  the  end. 
Among  the  many  goblets  and  small  trinkets  and  mantel 
ornaments  that  one  finds  here,  there  is  an  elegant  Dutch 
frigate  (not  life  size)  byjac  Zeller;  the  driving  of  the 
rebellious  angels  from  Heaven,  a  wonderful  piece  of 
workmanship  of  ninety-two  figures,  kept  in  a  still  more 
wonderfully  small  space;  a  most  beautiful  Musikanten- 
Schlagerei  (Musician's  Fray)  by  A.  Durer,  and  two  small 
horses'  heads  by  Michael  Angelo. 

"  Room  No.  I II  already  commences  to  make  yourhead 
swim  and  on  all  sides  worked  into  all  sorts  of  ornaments 


[36] 

and  house  utensils,  from  a  spoon  to  a  grate  and  mantel, 
you  find  splendid  mosaics,  limoges,  and  the  famous  Dan- 
zic  Bernstein,  a  yellowish-red  sort  of  amber  that  I  have 
never  seen  before,  ostrich  eggs,  mother-of-pearl,  and 
coral,  all  enameled  and  dressed  in  gold  and  silver;  and 
dancing  forward  and  backward  in  the  large  Venetian 
mirrors  that  cover  all  the  walls,  making  you  feel  as  if 
instead  of  descending  into  the  palace  of  Albert,  King  of 
Saxony,a  real  flesh  and  blood  sort  of  a  Prince,who  drinks 
his  lager  and  for  aught  I  know  eats  his  sauerkraut  every 
day,  you  had  descended  into  the  palace  of  Aladdin.  One 
grate  and  mantel, in  particular, byNeuber,made  in  1 78  2, 
deserves  special  mention,  not  only  for  its  richness  but  for 
the  great  beauty  with  which  his  combinations  are  made. 
"No.  I  Vis  the  gold  and  silver  room,  and  of  course  it 
is  easy  to  imagine  that  you  saw  gold  salvers  long  enough 
for  the  Titans  to  sleep  upon  and  pots  for  Hercules  to 
bathe  in.  All  sorts  of  beautifully  carved  ornament  boxes, 
bookcases,  goblets,  cutlery,  and  Heaven  knows  what  not. 
Then,  too,  we  have  here  pretty  specimens  of  the  Vene- 
tians, ruby  and  opal  glasses,  a  great  relief  from  the  mass 
of  gold  and  silver,  and  on  going  into  Room  Vwe  get  the 
same  ornaments  in  agate,  chalcedony,  lapis  lazuli,  helio- 
trope, oriental  jasper,  onyx,  until  one  thinks  that  the 
whole  bowels  of  the  earth  must  have  been  turned  in- 
side out  for  the  benefit  of  this  chamber.  The  largest 
piece  of  enameling  (I  believe  in  the  world)  by  Dinglin- 
gen,the  Saxon  Benvenuto  Cellini,  is  here,  being  a  Mag- 
dalena  after  Carlo  Dolci,  and  a  most  exquisite  piece  of 


[37] 

workmanship,  half  a  figure,  life-size.  Then,  too,  a  most 
curious  piece  of  mechanism  by  Schlottheim  of  Augs- 
burg, a  clock  representing  the  tower  of  Babel,  a  sort  of 
perpetuum  mobile,  by  which  a  little  white  crystal  ball  takes 
just  one  minute  to  roll  around  the  balconies  of  the  tower 
from  top  to  bottom,  and  no  sooner  gets  down  than  it  is 
hurled  up  to  do  the  whole  work  over  again.  We  have 
also  here  mirrors  out  of  the  Berg  Crystal  mounted  (as 
well  as  framed,  a  feature  I  had  never  seen  before)  and 
by  Cellini  himself. 

"No. VI  contained  all  sorts  of  carvings  and  cuttings  in 
all  sorts  of  metals  and  minerals,  and  en  miniature  just  as 
cunning  a  little  show  as  one  wants  to  see  any  time.  It  was 
like  leaving  the  Giants  to  meet  the  Lilliputians,  and  I 
could  not  but  look  on  all  sides  to  see  whether  the  old 
Dean  was  not  getting  some  recognition  for  this. 

"  No.  VI I  contains  all  sorts  of  work  in  wood,and  dough, 
cherry  stones,  and  wax,  curious  and  clever  enough,  and 
also  the  Crown  Insignia  of  Poland — two  crowns,scepters 
and  mace,  which  were  to  give  me  a  foretaste  of  what  the 
next  room  was  to  contain.  I  was  more  interested  in  the 
thought  that  a  John  Sobieski  had  worn  these,  than  I  was 
in  the  numerous  diamonds  and  sapphires  and  rubies  out 
of  which  the  crowns  were  literally  built. 

"The  next  and  last  room,wonderful  as  the  thing  seems, 
contains  in  actual  value  more  than  all  the  worth  of  the 
other  rooms  put  together,  and  in  the  various  cases  every 
imaginable  precious  stone  is  found  in  profusion  and  in 
sizes  compared  with  which  everything  that  I  had  seen 


[38] 

before  was  insignificant.  Particularly  profuse  is  the  col- 
lection of  diamonds,  and  contains  among  other  knobs 
(one  cannot  call  these  huge  masses  anything  else)  the 
famous  Hut  agraffe,  the  green  diamond,  weighing  160 
grammes!  One  lady's  attire  there  has  a  train  of  662  dia- 
monds, and  when  one  sees  the  numerous  orders  and  arms 
that  are  literally  studded  with  them,  you  wonder  why 
the  diamond  should  ever  have  been  considered  a  rarity. 
They  have  an  onyx  mass  here  sixteen  one-hundredths 
of  a  meter  high  (the  largest  in  the  world)  and  valued  at 
1 50,000  marks  (I  should  have  put  on  at  least  two  more 
ciphers) .  I  turned  with  a  sigh  of  relief  to  the  fine  enamel 
work  of  Dinglingen's  in  this  chamber,  the  Court  of  the 
Great  Mogul  at  Delhi,  a  great  collection  of  small  figures, 
animals,  presents,  and  in  the  Eastern  magnificent  profu- 
sion of  precious  stones.  In  leaving  the  collection,  I  could 
not  but  have  a  touch  of  sadness  in  the  thought  that  by 
this  trip  I  was  fast  getting  into  a  state  where  there  was 
nothing  more  much  worth  seeing,  and  that  by  the  time 
I  got  home  again,  admiration  would  be  an  emotion  that 
could  no  longer  be  excited  in  me.  These  treasures  have, 
of  course,  been  frequently  menaced  by  the  numerous  in- 
vasions, French,  Prussian,  and  Austrian,  to  which  Saxony 
has  at  different  times  been  laid  open,  and  they  are  then 
removed  to  the  neighboring  fortress  of  Konigstein.  At 
one  time,  too,  when  the  Saxon  credit  had  sunk  to  a  pretty 
low  ebb,  some  of  the  jewels  were  pawned  in  Amsterdam, 
and  indeed  one  would  think  from  looking  at  them  that 
if  they  sold  for  what  they  were  worth,  the  proceeds  might 


;•       •         [39] 

pay  the  debt  even  of  our  country.  Let  us  turn  Vandal  and 
sack  Dresden,  and  solve  the  financial  puzzle  of  the  day; 
we  could  at  least  resume  jewel,  if  not  specie  payment. 

"  I  wandered  from  here  slowly  through  the  streets,  try- 
ing to  warm  up  in  the  sun  that  had  now  worked  its 
way  through  the  clouds  and  was  shining  with  real  genial 
May  warmth,  until  I  concluded  to  take  a  peep  at  the 
Zoological  Museum  in  the  Z winger,  a  very  small  and 
inferior  collection,  containing  hardly  any  thing  that  in- 
terested me,  except  some  phrenological  busts  of  men 
that  had  distinguished  themselves. 

"May  8/77.  Today  was  again  devoted  to  the  picture 
gallery,  and  I  started  out  with  the  expectation  of  mak- 
ing my  first  round  complete,  but  owing  to  my  want  of 
endurance,  and  secondly  to  my  weakness  for  hanging 
eternally  over  what  pleases  me,  I  find  at  the  close  of  the 
day 's  work  that  I  have  still  my  hands  full.  Having  taken  a 
look  at  Correggio's  Reclining  Magdalen, a  much  smaller 
picture  than  I  expected  to  find  it,  I  confess  to  a  great  dis- 
appointment with  it,  and  to  me  it  did  not  realize  the 
hopes  excited  even  by  the  steel  engravings  I  had  seen. 
To  be  sure,  the  figure  is  exquisitely  graceful,  and  a  super- 
ficial glance  is  apt  to  give  great  satisfaction,  but  the  face 
of  Magdalen  is  open  to  the  same  objection  that  I  have 
already  made  to  his  Madonnas,  and  I  can  only  conclude 
that  Correggio  could  not  paint  a  beautiful  female  face. 

"  Having  looked  at  this,  I  went  back  to  the  Dutch  and 
Flemish  artists  again,  this  time  paying  more  attention 
to  Ruysdael  (Jacob), who  is  well  represented  here,  and 


[40] 

who  gives  us  one  powerful  landscape  after  the  other,  and 
as  changing  as  nature  itself,  and  almost  as  prolific.  Par- 
ticularly well  pleased  was  I  with  his  Convent  and  his 
Chase,  and  I  was  hardly  prepared  for  the  intensity  of 
feeling  that  he  throws  into  the  landscape  of  rocks  and 
gravestones, The  Jewish  Cemetery. 

"An  unknown  light,  Netscher,  gives  us  a  delightful 
collection  of  little  genre  sketches,  as  amusing  as  they  are 
striking.  Without  dwelling  on  the  many  masters  that 
are  represented  here,  for  each  of  whom  a  good  word 
might  be  said,  as  indeed  they  all  contribute  to  repro- 
duce the  charming  Dutch  life  in  the  i  yth  century,  al- 
ways humorous,  never  sentimental,  except  perhaps  to 
the  extent  of  a  bunch  of  flowers,  and  only  leaving  this 
domain  of  the  droll  to  put  upon  record  for  us  a  sad  pic- 
ture that  nature  herself  had  already  drawn  before.  But 
the  Netherlander  never  seems  to  be  himself  except  at  his 
beer,  or  chase,  a  dance,  and  occasionally  a  fight.  I  must 
not  omit,  however,  to  render  special  homage  to  Adrien 
Ostade  (a  pupil  of  Hals)  and  Douw  (a  pupil  of  Rem- 
brandt), who  in  these  very  happy  genre  pictures  have 
given  us  so  much  to  make  us  grateful ;  particularly  in 
the  case  of  the  latter,  my  going  from  one  to  another  of 
his  little  groupings  was  marked  by  a  succession  of  Ohs! 
As  a  rarity  from  his  school,  he  gives  us  a  hermit  pray- 
ing, and  as  a  sample  of  true  devotion  and  fervor,  I  would 
recommend  its  advertisement  and  exposition  in  every 
house  of  worship  in  the  world.  It  is  really  a  little  mas- 
terpiece. It  is  an  enormous  task,  this  examination  of  the 


[41] 

hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  the  smaller  class  of  paint- 
ings that  the  collection  possesses,  but  it  brings  its  re- 
wards, and  I  have  unearthed  for  myself  many  a  treasure 
that  I  must  have  deprived  myself  of  otherwise,  by  just 
this  careful  examination. 

"A  special  tribute  to  Berchem,who  deserves  to  rank 
among  the  Ruysdaels  and  Wouvermans  as  a  landscape 
painter,  and  now  I  am  ready  for  the  modern  school,  to 
which  without  finishing  the  others,  I  now  turned  as  a 
sort  of  rest  always  to  be  derived  from  variety. 

"Here  I  found  with  but  few  exceptions  only  speci- 
mens of  artists  either  natives  of  Dresden  or  workers  in 
Dresden.  It  is  very  modest,  but  counts  among  its  pic- 
tures a  good  many  of  real  merit  and  beauty.  Almost 
the  first  picture  I  saw  is  in  my  opinion  the  finest  of  the 
group  —  one  by  Defregger  and  finished  only  in  1877. 
One  has  got  to  fix  the  subject  for  one's  self,  but  the  main 
interest  centers  around  three  figures,  two  of  whom,  the 
last  of  a  party  about  to  leave  the  inn  for  the  chase,  hang 
back  to  bid  adieu  to  what  might  be  the  waitress. The  old- 
est, a  graybeard,  has  the  hands  of  the  girl  in  his,  seems 
to  be  asking  for  a  kiss,  and  she  while  holding  back,  looks 
the  kindest,  pleasantest,  most  naive  that  one  ever  saw, 
while  the  younger  of  the  men,  not  unlikely  the  son,  leans 
back  against  the  house  enjoying  the  scene,  and  with 
much  interest,  evidently  awaiting  the  denouement.  The 
strength  of  the  picture  lies  in  the  great  clearness  with 
which  the  peculiar  expressions  on  the  faces  of  his  sub- 
jects are  depicted,  and  is  running  over  with  such  genuine 


[42] 

good  humor  that  one  is  involuntarily  disposed  to  hug  the 
artist  who  must  have  a  friendly  disposition,  indeed,  to 
give  us  such  a  production.  Rotermund's  Body  of  Christ 
Bemoaned  by  his  Relations  is  also  a  fine  picture,  and  un- 
fortunately the  artist's  last.  This  part  of  the  collection 
has  some  unusually  powerful  and  pretentious  pictures, 
among  which  the  more  prominent  are  Pluddermann's 
Barbarossa  Appeasing  the  Division  in  the  Diet  at  Be- 
san9on,  i  i57,Bahr's  Announcement  of  Death  to  Ivan 
the  Terrible  by  Finnish  Magicians  (a  really  magnifi- 
cent Ivan),  Mattai's  Orestes  Assassinating  ^Egisthus  (in 
which  again  the  hero  stands  head  and  shoulders  over 
the  other  subjects  in  the  picture,  as  genuine  a  Grecian 
as  one  could  wish  the  King  of  Men's  Agamennon's  son 
to  be),  Schurigi's  Bishop  of  Speyer  Protecting  the  Jews 
in  the  Midst  of  Persecutionand  Massacre  (indicating  the 
terrible  influence  of  the  crucifix  in  those  days  of  the  first 
crusade  when  its  appearance  could  instantly  cowthis  pas- 
sionate mob),  Roting's  Columbus  before  the  Salamanca 
Council  and  last  but  among  the  best  of  the  whole  series, 
two  well  conceived  military  episodes  by  Schuster:  Attack 
of  the  Saxon  Cuirassiers  at  Borodino,  1812,  and  Resist- 
ance of  the  Battalion  Ausdem  Wenkel&t  Jena,  herculean 
tasks,  but  excellent  in  all  their  details.  Among  the  better 
landscapes,  in  my  opinion  that  of  Johannes  Dahl  stands 
out  pre-eminent  and  under  the  name  of  theTellemartem 
Ferry  he  gives  us  one  of  those  splendid  peculiarly  Nor- 
wegian scenes  that  Black  knows  so  well  how  to  describe 
in  his  Princess  of  Thule,  in  which  mountain  and  river, 


[43] 

cascade,  rock,  and  ice  combined  in  one  dress  all  the  or- 
naments of  Nature's  jewel  box.  In  addition,  The  Bay 
of  Baiae  (Vesuvius  and  Gulf  of  Naples  in  the  distance) 
by  Hoppenroth  ought  to  receive  honorable  mention,  as 
in  the  same  connection  a  Night  Scene  on  the  Campagna 
by  Karl  W.  Muller,a  beautiful  picture  enhanced  in  its 
effects  by  a  blending  of  the  campfire  and  moonlight  on 
the  peasants'  faces  and  trees  and  marshes  around,  both 
pictures  warm  with  the  Italian  country's  glow.  Oswald 
and  Andreas  Achenbach  each  give  us  a  large  landscape 
(I  like  the  latter's  best).  A  different  Dahl  gives  us  a  fine 
mountain  scene,  and  Ludwig  Richter  a  pretty  scene  in 
the  woods  from  whose  densest  portion  a  bridal  party  in 
rich  gaudy  colors  are  pushing  their  way,  making  live  and 
picturesque  the  scene  in  the  most  charming  way.  Wis- 
licenus  gives  us  his  well-known  Abundantia  et  Miseria, 
hardly  equal  to  what  I  expected  from  him,  and  which 
claims  your  attention  for  so  long  a  time  only  because  it 
is  Wislicenus'  and  not  John  Smith's.  Among  other  gen- 
eral topics,  Muhlig's  Fight  between  Returning  Pilgrims 
and  Robbers  deserves  note,  if  only  for  the  beautiful  snow 
scene  in  the  woods,where  the  priests  have  been  attacked ; 
and  of  the  genre  pictures  none  appealed  to  me  so  strongly 
as  Leydel's  picture  of  a  poor  old  man  and  wife,  to  whom 
tidings  are  brought  by  a  surviving  but  wounded  com- 
rade of  the  dead  son  left  on  the  Bohemian  battlefield 
in  1866, — a  most  pathetic  picture. 

"Art  professors  and  court  painters  are  represented  here, 
too,  but  except  in  cases  of  certain  portraits,  have  not  ac- 


[44] 

complished  much,  to  judge  from  this  exhibition.  Chou- 
lant's  St.  Peter, Vatican,  and  St.  Angelo  might  perhaps 
deserve  more  favorable  treatment.  Some  of  them  have, 
however,  given  us  good  pupils  (whose  names  figure  a- 
bove)  and  that  is  really  more  important.  Talent  is  gen- 
erally to  be  found  in  all  generations  and  branches — the 
main  trouble  lies  in  its  proper  cultivation. 

"  Reserving  the  balance,  both  ancient  and  modern,  for 
another  day,  I  turned  home  to  rest  from  my  hard  work, 
and  as  usual,  even  by  such  attractive  programmes  at  the 
Hof  theatre  as  Lohengrin,  and  at  the  Residenz,Lecocq's 
Piccolo,  once  at  home  I  cannot  rouse  ambition  enough 
to  venture  forth  again,  and  am  sulking  and  freezing  in 
my  room.  I  have  not  yet  visited  the  Dresden  theatres, 
and  until  I  feel  more  inclined,  I  am  not  anxious  to  face 
these  3-4-5  mark  prices— I  can  say  with  the  Irishman 
'We  can  have  that  at  home.' 

"May  9, '77.  My  eyes  and  head  were  so  disordered  this 
morning  that  I  thought  I  would  leave  all  collections 
alone,  as  an  examination  of  them  is  a  great  strain  on  both, 
and  so  the  day  being  warm  and  pleasant,  I  forced  my- 
self out  to  stroll  about  town,  selecting  such  portions  as 
were  still  new  to  me.  I  coasted  through  the  Burger  Wiese 
and  along  the  Grosse  Garten,where  one  upon  the  other 
the  very  finest  villas  are  situated,  and  proving  conclu- 
sively that  my  first  opinion  about  Dresden's  beauty  was 
too  hastily  formed.  I  passed  through  the  beautiful  Wie- 
ner Strasse,  interested  by  the  Gellert,  Lessing,  and  Prager 
Strassen,  and  everywhere  I  found  the  same  combina- 


[45] 

tion  of  elegance,  comfort,  and  rural  beauty.  Evidently  in 
this  Dresden  the  people  have  learned  to  appreciate  the 
greater  blessing  of  having  a  home  to  yourself,  instead 
of  dividing  it  as  most  of  the  other  German  citizens  do, 
between  a  beer-saloon,  a  count,  a  painter,  and  a  mason. 
This  plan  of  et ages  has  never  been  to  my  liking;  it  has 
always  in  my  eyes  resembled  the  living  in  a  boarding 
house,  and  I  cannot  see  why  its  introduction  into  New 
York  should  become  so  popular,except  that  it  is  cheaper, 
or  perhaps  from  an  unfortunate  weakness  that  our  aris- 
tocracy is  acquiring  of  aping  everything  European,  not 
for  the  good  reason  as  a  general  thing  that  it  is  better, 
but  simply  because  it  is  European.  Too  much  argumen- 
tum  ad  hominem. 

"RlETSCHEL  MUSEUM. 

"This  was  my  objective  point  this  afternoon  after  rest- 
lessly tossing  about  on  my  bed  for  two  or  three  hours,  and 
at  3  p.  M.,  the  opening  hour,  I  presented  myself  at  its 
doors,  after  a  walk  through  the  garden  that  separates  it 
from  the  city,  and  which  in  the  increasing  strength  of 
spring, is  daily  growing  more  beautiful — fruit  trees  bud- 
ding and  flowers  in  their  endless  shades  of  color  taking 
distinctive  form. 

"The  Rietschel  Museum  occupies  the  second  floor  and 
the  Alterthumer  Museum  the  parterre  of  this  pretty  little 
Lust  Schloss,  though  two  hundred  years  old,  well  pre- 
served. The  museum  contains  not  a  great  many  things, 
but  all  of  them  extremely  fine  and  interesting,  being  with 


[46] 

few  exceptions  casts  of  Rietschel's  numerous  works,  and 
his  first  sketches  of  the  same.  I  found  in  the  first  place 
copies  of  works  that  I  had  seen  in  other  cities,  but  none 
the  less  interesting  on  that  account,  /«^r^//W,theLessing 
statue  and  Quadriga  of  Braunschweig,  and  the  Thaer 
statue  (Great  Agriculturist)  in  Leipsic.What  possessed 
the  most  interest  for  me,  however,  not  so  much  because 
they  were  new  to  me  as  because  of  their  superior  excel- 
lence and  the  fear  that  I  should  not  see  the  originals, 
were  the  twelve  tablets  of  the  development  of  the  human 
race  (in  the  Aula  of  the  Augusteum  in  Leipsic),the  great 
Luther  Memorial  in  Worms,  and  that  exquisite  group 
of  Goethe  and  Schiller  in  Weimar,  the  former  holding 
the  laurel  wreath  in  one  hand  with  the  otherresting  upon 
Schiller's  shoulder,  familiar  through  engravings  to  all 
of  us.  The  first  one,  which  I  had  greatly  regretted  miss- 
ing while  in  Leipsic,  interested  me  most,  and  I  dare  say 
more  for  the  conception  than  in  the  execution, although 
as  regards  the  latter  respe6t,Rietschel  rarely  leaves  much 
to  be  desired.The  development  of  civilization  is  followed 
through  twelve  pictures  (bas-reliefs) :  I .  Natural  State  of 
Man  (representing  agriculture  and  science  in  primitive 
state);  2.  Egypt  (the  building  of  the  sphinx  and  pyra- 
mids) ;  3 .  Greece  (with,  of  course,  the  Homers,  Phidiases, 
Demostheneses,  and  Aristotles) ;  4.  Rome  (the  consuls 
receiving  from  their  victorious  generals  the  trophies  of 
art  collections  brought  from  foreign  countries) ;  5.  Boni- 
facius  in  Germany  (indicating,  no  doubt,  the  healthful 
influence  upon  primitive  barbarism  that  the  teachings  of 


[47] 

Christ  exerted  through  the  pure/well-intentioned  priest); 
6.  Crusades  (by  which  the  Saracenic  and  general  oriental 
culture  and  refinement  were  brought  back  to  Europe  by 
the  returning  legions) ;  j.  The  Discovery  of  Printing 
(making  easier  and  cheaper  the  dissemination  of  knowl- 
edge); 8.  Commerce  of  the  i6th  Century  (the  beauti- 
ful and  more  frequent  association  of  different  nations,by 
which  one  could  copy  the  good  of  another);  9.  Refor- 
mation (by  which  the  obstacle  opposed  by  the  Catholic 
Church  of  the  middle  ages  to  a  higher  development,was 
removed  to  a  great  extent — a  new  safety  valve) ;  I  o.  Re- 
naissance (the  Raphaels  and  Angelos  and  Cellinis  reviv- 
ing the  purity  of  ancient  styles  in  the  fine  arts) ;  1 1 .  Mod- 
ern Art  and  Science  (the  work  of  Goethe,  Shakespeare, 
and  Beethoven — of  Kant,Stephenson,and  Newton,etc.); 
12.  Einfuhrung  der  A  uf as  sung  in  Sachsen  (a  work  not 
only  delightful  for  its  outer  beauties,but  full  of  suggestive- 
ness  and  philosophy).  I  suppose  next  in  order  will  rank 
his  Luther  Denkmal  (Memorial),  in  which  he  seems  to 
have  received  the  assistance  of  his  disciples,  Schilling, 
Kietz,  and  Doundorf,  principally  the  latter  ones,  who 
have  modeled  a  number  of  the  side  figures,  and  in  a 
manner,  too,worthy  of  their  master.  A  colossal  figure  of 
Luther  crowns  the  central  figure,  and  here  the  numer- 
ous sketches  of  Rietschel  show  how  much  care  he  gave 
to  it,  and  how  repeatedly  the  model  was  changed  until 
he  hit  upon  the  actual  one,  by  all  odds  the  best.  Luther 
does  not  look  soured  from  too  much  thought,  nor  em- 
bittered by  persecution  from  the  papists,  but  stands  with 


[48] 

head  eredt  and  a  look  of  pleasure  derived  from  triumph 
upon  his  face,  as  with  one  hand  he  points  for  confirma- 
tion of  his  claims  to  the  Bible  he  holds  in  the  other.  Be- 
neath him  are  four  large  figures  of  John  Huss  (contem- 
plating with  an  air  of  sadness  the  crucifix  he  holds  in  his 
hands)  ,Willef  engaged  in  study,  Savanarola  in  the  midst 
of  a  passionate  address,  and  Petrus  Waldus.  This  main 
part  of  the  memorial  is  ornamented  by  bas-reliefs  il- 
lustrating the  Lutheran  creed  and  the  changes  it  intro- 
duced, with  bust  of  his  more  prominent  co-iconoclasts, 
among  others  Calvin,  Zwingli,  etc.  This  monument  is 
surrounded  by  a  stone  promenade,  whose  four  corners 
are  crowned  by  four  statues,  also  colossal,  in  front  Fried- 
rich  der  Weise  (Sachsen)  and  Philipp  (Hesse), in  the 
rearReuchlin  and  Melanchthon,with  intermediate  al- 
legorical figures  of  the  cities  of  Augsburg,  Magdeburg, 
and  Speyer  — a  beautiful  execution  of  another  of  those 
broad  conceptions  of  which  Rietschel  was  so  capable. 
"Among  other  fine  works  of  the  master  that  deserve 
special  mention  are  his  Magdalen  at  the  feet  of  Christ 
dead  upon  the  cross,  and  Mary  with  the  dead  body  of 
Christ  lying  before  her,  coming  very  near  to  my  no- 
tion of  what  these  characters  ought  to  portray.  There 
are  copies,  too,  of  his  fine  gable-reliefs  for  the  museum 
and  theatre  here,notably  allegorical  groups  of  Music  and 
Tragedy ,  and  among  the  more  prominent  statues  also  for 
the  same  edifices,  Goethe,  Giotto,  Holbein,  Durer,  and 
Pericles.  A  great  many  copies  of  individual  busts  of  prom- 
inent men  in  all  departments  of  life  are  here,  interest- 


[49] 

ing  not  only  for  their  artistic  beauty,  but  also  for  the 
phrenological  study  they  offer.  I  know  no  pleasanter 
task  than  to  study  a  fine  face  or  a  fine  head,  and  a  Goethe 
or  a  Webster  or  Cuvier  at  each  view  seems  to  possess  an 
increased  attraction  for  me.  Still  it  would  not  be  profit- 
able to  rehearse  here  a  list  of  all  the  actors,poets,painters, 
generals,  nobles,  etc.,  that  formed  subjects  at  one  time 
and  another  for  this  versatile  sculptor.  He  gives  us  busts 
of  his  three  wives,  and  one  cannot  but  feel  that  he  had 
an  eye  for  the  beautiful.  I  would  recommend  to  every- 
one who  visits  the  museum  a  close  scrutiny  of  the  'true 
inwardness'  of  Rietschel  himself,  and  the  best  history 
of  his  works.  I  had  spent  an  interesting  hour  or  two  here 
and  was  quite  willing  now  to  go  home  and  stay  home. 
A  fine  symphony  programme  at  the  Belvedere,  but  my 
head  aches  too  badly. 

"Sunday,  May  1 3,  '77.  These  last  few  days  have  been 
among  the  saddest  of  my  trip,  for  I  cannot  help  seeing 
that  whether  from  some  indiscretion  on  my  part,  or  what, 
my  eyes  and  head  are  growing  worse  and  I  am  constantly 
forced  still  further  to  restrict  myself  in  the  use  of  both. 
I  find  it  difficult  in  this  way  to  write  even  these  few  notes, 
and  if  I  did  not  cling  to  them  desperately  as  a  last  hope, 
as  the  only  return  my  trip  is  making  me,  I  should  give 
them  up,  too.  Walking  soon  fatigues  me,  examining  col- 
lections still  more  so.  I  have  no  patience  for  lying  on 
my  bed  all  day,  sore  as  my  head  may  feel,  and  I  cannot 
see  how  I  shall  long  be  able  to  bear  this. 

"The  day  was  a  rainy  one, and  I  remained  indoors  un- 


[50] 

til  three  or  four  in  the  afternoon,when  the  sun  coming 
out,  I  walked  out  to  the  garden  to  take  a  look  at  the  zoo- 
logical collection,  which  is  placed  here  and  is,  I  believe, 
the  property  of  some  private  association.  At  all  events 
an  admission  fee  is  charged.  The  animals  are  spread  over 
a  large  space  of  ground,  placed  in  groups  and  irreg- 
ularly, and  in  coming  forward  and  driving  backward 
again  to  be  sure  of  seeing  all  that  was  offered,  I  soon  got 
wretchedly  fatigued  and  could  give  the  collection  only  a 
hurried  and  superficial  examination.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, fortified  by  my  very  limited  knowledge  of 
natural  history,  I  found  very  little  here  that  was  of  un- 
usual interest  or  value,  and  hardly  more  than  a  match  for 
one  of  our  better  class  menageries. 

"Tuesday,  May  1 5/77.  My  eyes  are  growing  so  weak 
that  these  notes  have  got  to  be  written  a  line  at  a  time, 
and  I  feel  sorely  tempted  to  give  them  up  altogether. 

"  I  went  to  the  Gemdlde  Gallerie  in  the  morning  with 
the  hope  that  I  might  finish  my  first  round  of  the  pictures, 
and  then  be  prepared  to  review  all  the  more  prominent 
features  of  the  collection,  but  I  soon  found  that  my  eyes 
could  not  bear  the  strain  and  a  half  hour's  stay  was  the 
limit  of  my  endurance.  If  this  is  to  continue  so,  God 
knows  what  good  the  trip  is  going  to  do  me.  The  little 
time  spent  here  was  devoted  to  examining  the  three 
pictures  of  Angelica  KaufFman  they  have  here:  Sibyl, 
Vestal  Virgin,  and  Ariadne,  which  I  did  not  find  equal- 
ing my  expectations  in  any  respect  but  gracefulness; 
some  pictures  by  Raphael  Mengs  which  did  him  very 


little  credit;  a  huge  historical  incident  by  Julius  Hubner 
of  great  interest  as  such,  but  like  a  great  many  more  pic- 
tures that  you  find  here,  although  it  affords  you  some 
pleasure  in  looking  at  it  and  displays  considerable  skill, 
yet  it  leaves  you  unsatisfied.  It  does  not  rouse  that  real 
enthusiasm  that  an  excellent  picture  is  almost  sure  to.  It 
represents  the  disputation  of  Luther  and  Ech  at  Leipsic 
before  Duke  George  and  other  princes,  and  introduces 
many  of  the  prominent  figures  of  that  day  whom  the 
Reformation,  like  an  earthquake,  made  so,  out  of  their 
obscurity.  Vogel's  portraits  of  his  own  little  boys  exam- 
ining a  picture  book  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  things 
I  have  seen  here.  Just  as  I  was  going  out,  too,  I  struck  a 
large  picture  by  Rotari,  a  night  piece,  Repose  of  the 
Holy  Family  on  the  Flight  into  Egypt,  inspired  I  im- 
agine by  Correggio's  La  Notte  and  I  confess,  pleasing 
me  better.  I  make  no  one  but  myself  responsible  for 
these  anti  ex  cathedra  opinions  and  am  only  noting  im- 
pressions as  they  were  formed.  I  don't  propose  to  fly 
into  ecstasies  about  a  thing  simply  because  I  am  told  to, 
willing  as  I  am  however,  to  develop  an  artistic  taste  by 
examining  carefully  and  as  intelligently  as  I  know  how, 
what  more  experienced  hands  have  declared  praise- 
worthy." 


"Dresden :  A  Pilgrimage 

WHILE  in  Dresden,  experiencing  a  day  of  fa- 
tigue when  visits  to  the  museums  meant 
too  much  of  a  tax  on  his  eyes,  he  resorted 
to  tramping  in  the  open  country.  Nothing 
he  enjoyed  more  than  long  tramps  over  hills  and  dales, 
appreciating  the  beauties  ofnature — aspects  of  snowcov- 
ered  peaks  in  the  distance, wonderful  sunsets,  aroused  al- 
most a  religious  feeling  in  him  —  God's  gifts  to  human- 
ity would  they  but  see! 

Music  was  his  natural  gift.  He  embraced  every  chance 
to  hear  the  famous  musicians  of  the  day,  and  he  had  in- 
tense reverence  for  the  great  composers  to  whom  he  was 
indebted  for  joy  and  solace  when  all  else  failed. 

In  his  journal  he  writes  on  May  1 5, 1 877,  from  Dres- 
den: 

"In  the  afternoon,  determined  to  force  myself  into  a 
walk  no  matter  how  fatiguing  it  might  be,  and  know- 
ing also  that  my  chances  of  seeing  it  out  would  be  im- 
proved by  fixing  a  definite  destination,  I  selected  the  sub- 
urb Friedrichstadt  which  I  had  steered  for  and  missed  on 
a  previous  occasion.  I  reached  it  all  right  this  time,  by 
walking  through  the  prettyOstra4//ee  facing  the  Z  win- 
ger, which  leads  right  over  the  viaduct  into  the  little  town. 
Finding  nothing  short  of  that  to  stop  me  as  worthy  of 
examination,  I  pushed  on  to  the  old  Catholic  graveyard 


[S3] 

here,  and  was  sure  to  find  something  to  interest  me,  if 
only  in  the  grave  of  good  old  Carl  Maria  von  Weber. 
The  sun  for  almost  the  first  time  since  my  arrival  had 
come  out,  hot  and  trying  as  the  summer  sun  in  its  senses 
should,  and  yet  I  was  quite  content  though  exposed  to 
its  three  o'clock  rays  to  work  my  way  through  Dukes 
and  Counts,  Chamberlains  and  Generals  that  are  scat- 
tered about  here  thick  as  bees  in  a  hive,  though  with- 
out very  striking  monuments,  in  the  hope  that  I  should 
soon  find  where  my  great  favorite  was  buried.  And  so  in- 
terested was  I  in  my  search  that  I  refused  to  pray  for  these 
departed  souls  as  their  tombstones  in  many  instances  pi- 
ously requested.  At  last  I  found  what  I  was  looking  for 
in  a  plain  grave  in  a  quiet  little  corner,four  laurel  wreaths 
upon  the  uplifted  sod  being  the  sole  indication  that  here 
a  more  than  ordinarily  genial  and  gifted  man  had  gone 
the  way  that  all  alike,  rich  and  poor,laborer  and  philoso- 
pher, go  in  their  day.  Truly  a  great  leveler  is  the  church- 
yard. I  picked  a  bit  of  a  wreath  (rather  sacrilegiously  I 
confess)  took  a  flower  or  two  that  grew  wild  by  his  grave 
and  placed  these  by  the  side  of  those  of  Calhoun  and 
Monroe  which  I  had  gathered  while  South  —  rather  a 
queer  mixture  I  confess,  but  then,  great  men  are  always 
in  place  in  the  company  of  each  other,  and  every  genius 
be  he  orator,  diplomat,  or  musician  can  find  something 
congenial  in  the  association  with  another.  It  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  imagine  Dante  and  Beethoven  good  friends.  Hav- 
ing taken  a  long  look  at  the  grave  that  held  all  that  was 
left  of  the  man  that  had  given  me  so  many  an  hour  of 


[54] 

real  pleasure  at  the  opera  with  Freischutz  and  Oberon, 
and  at  the  piano  with  his  unsurpassed  sonatas,  I  turned 
back  without  much  curiosity  to  examine  the  graves  of 
thosewho  are  onlygreatbecause  their  fathers  beforethem 
were." 

Again  in Vienna,on  Wednesday,  June  6, '77,he  writes: 
"More  to  save  my  eyes  than  aught  else,  I  started  out 
to  pay  my  pilgrimage  to  some  of  the  distinguished  graves 
that  the  Viennese  suburban  graveyards  contain.They  are 
distributed  over  an  enormous  extent  of  country,  but  I  se- 
lected the  one  on  the  Wahring  Road  and  left  the  others 
for  some  other  time.  The  day  was  very  hot  and  dusty, 
the  sun  strong,  but  I  armed  myself  with  my  umbrella 
and  determined  to  brave  it.  I  struck  the  Ring  and  then 
walked  down  the  Wahringer  Gasse.  This  led  me  to  the 
Gurtel  Strasse  which  encloses  the  whole  city,  and  having 
passed  that,  I  was  in  Wahring,  one  of  the  many  outer  sub- 
urbs of  the  city  which  swells  the  population  of  600,000 
to  i  ,ooo,ooo,but  is  so  properly  part  of  the  city  that  it  de- 
serves to  be  counted  as  part  of  it.  Having  been  led  astray 
by  mal-informants  I  went  to  the  Allgemeine  Wahringer 
FriedAof(the  general  Wahringer  Cemetery)  where,  for 
an  hour,  I  looked  in  vain  for  the  objects  of  my  search, 
and  finally  found  that  I  was  still  within  a  half  hour's  walk 
of  my  destination.  Then  by  wrong  information  received 
again,  I  walked  too  far.  I  struck  a  little  graveyard,  to  be 
sure,  but  again  the  wrong  one.  From  the  hills  which 
commence  to  grow  from  this  point  and  extend  to  the 
Rhine,  I  turned  back  and  rested  myself  in  a  restaurant, 


[55] 

eating  some  wretched  Lammeme  sgebacken^  sort  of  pan- 
cake with  raisins  and  currants,  just  to  explore  the  mys- 
tery surrounding  the  name.  I  then  found  the  Fried/iofor 
cemetery  I  was  after,  the  Wahringer  Ost  Fried/iofznd  here 
something  to  justify  the  morning's  tramp.  The  grave- 
yards of  Vienna  are  interesting  only  for  the  bones  they 
contain.  Theyare  neither  kept  neatly  nor  are  the  tomb- 
stones ornamental,  and  indeed  nowhere  in  Europe  have 
I  found  anything  that  bears  the  slightest  comparison 
with  Greenwood  Cemetery,  Spring  Grove,  Holly  Tree, 
or  Green  Mount. 

"I  had  no  eyes  for  the  marshals  and  ministers  and 
counts  on  all  sides,  when  the  spot  contained  all  that  re- 
mains of  a  Beethoven,  and  before  the  simple  unassum- 
ing obelisk  that  indicates  the  spot  where  he  was  laid  after 
his  long  life  of  woe  and  tense  activity,  I  paid  the  homage 
that  is  due  to  the  man  who  has  given  me  the  best  hours  of 
my  existence,  for  indeed  I  am  never  so  wholly  forgetful 
of  self,  never  so  fully  lifted  out  of  the  cares  and  pains  of 
this  world  as  when  under  the  influence  of  that  wonder- 
ful harmony  of  sounds  that  we  call  music  and  of  which 
he  was  so  emphatically  and  indisputably^a/?  princeps. 
The  world  is  not  united  as  to  who  has  been  the  greatest 
poet,  dramatist,  philosopher,  scientist,  divine,  physician, 
lawyer,  or  orator,  but  it  is  unanimous  in  the  verdicl:  that 
Beethoven  is  king  of  musicians — and  nothing  upon  his 
monument  but  the  nine  letters  of  his  name.  The  com- 
bined essence  of  the  strength  of  the  nine  muses  is  nec- 
essary to  tell  the  world  the  greatness  of  the  genius  who 


[56] 

reposes  there.  Near  him  lies  the  lovely  Schubert,  who, 
in  his  few  thirty-one  years,  did  the  work  of  a  century, 
and  who  follows  well  in  the  footsteps  of  the  great  com- 
poser beside  him.  I  have  owed  too  much  pleasure  to  him 
as  well  as  the  other  not  to  be  quite  willing  to  pay  him 
part  of  the  homage  that  brought  me  to  my  Mecca.  A 
laurel  wreath  from  the  society  of  Friends  of  Musicians 
adorns  the  grave  of  each,  and  with  a  leaf  from  each  and 
some  small  flowers  that  grew  wild  by  the  side  of  their 
graves,  I  made  a  small  bouquet  that  should  hereafter  be 
to  me  a  memento  of  one  of  the  happiest  moments  of  my 
wanderings,  and  I  left  the  cemetery  with  it  as  proud  of 
my  little  bouquet  of  flowers  as  any  victor  returning  home 
to  Rome  with  his  train  of  triumphal  trophies. 

"By  the  side  of  less  important  graves,  I  might  have 
paid  more  attention  to  those  of  Seyfried,  the  composer, 
and  Franck,  the  great  physician,  but  today  and  under 
these  circumstances,  I  would  have  felt  it  sacrilege  to  di- 
vide my  reverence  between  them  and  a  Beethoven  and 
Schubert." 


[57] 

CHAPTER  IV 
Prague 

;-im          Jf~AY  23»'77-The  unique  appearance  of  the 

^L     /I      city  warned  me  that  there  was  much  for 

^k/          me  to  see  here  and  I  was  therefore  about 

JL-  T  M  early  and  did  not  even  wait  for  an  appetite 
for  breakfast.  I  pushed  through  the  Graben,  one  of  the 
most  active  of  the  business  streets  of  Prague — and  that 
says  much,  for  they  are  all  jammed  —  through  a  nar- 
row lane  into  the  fruit  market,  as  yet  showing  but  little 
fruit,  a  few  uninviting  cherries, which  the  peasant  wo- 
men were  neatly  entwining  with  small  yellow  flowers. 
In  the  proper  season,  no  doubt  this  market  must  be  an 
attractive  spot,  for  Bohemian  fruit  is  as  famous  as  it  is 
plentiful.  Another  small  lane,  for  we  are  in  the  Altstadt 
(old  town)  now,and  the  streets  are  as  small  as  the  houses 
are  large,  indicating  the  commercial  prosperity  and  mu- 
nicipal importance  of  this  city  for  many  centuries,  and 
now  I  have  struck  a  mine  of  attractions,  the  Grosser 
Ring  (a  large  square),  to  the  right  the  pretty  old  Gothic 
Rathhaus, evidently  restored,though  retaining  the  Mid- 
dle Age  architecture  complete,  with  figures  of  those  men 
who  are  constantly  memorialized  in  Prague,  and  who 
play  the  same  part  here  that  'The  Lowe*  does  in  Braun- 
schweig—Otto in  Magdeburg;  viz.,  of  the  old  Slavic  line 
of  Kings,  Spittigrew  II  and  Ottakar  II,  of  the  German 
Emperors,  the  famous  Carl  IV,  and  his  less  significant 


[58] 

even  though  sanctified  Wenzel,  and  finally,  the  Austrian 
Emperors,  Der  Gute  Franz  and  Ferdinand  I.  The  old 
tower  is  still  attached  to  the  haus,  and  shows  upon  its 
front  a  famous  astronomical  clock,  whose  wonder  I  did 
not  stop  to  examine,  only  contenting  myself  with  seeing 
the  dial  that  pointed  out  to  the  minute  the  time  of  the 
day.  Directly  opposite,  though  behind  the  houses,  the  fa- 
mous Teyn-kirche  (church), whose  two  beautiful  steeples 
tower  above  them  and  follow  you  all  over  the  Altstadt. 
They  were  built  by  Podiebrad,  who  was  crowned  here 
and  who  planted  upon  its  gable  the  Hussite  emblem, 
the  Kelch,  and  his  own  image— but  which  went  the  way 
of  the  fortunes  of  its  seel: — and  soon  was  replaced  by  the 
Holy  Virgin,  who  I  trust  has  not  been  rendered  less  im- 
maculate by  contact  with  so  unholy  an  object.  In  the 
middle  of  the  square  by  the  side  of  the  large  fountain 
and  lights  that  one  meets  in  all  the  open  places  of  the 
city,  a  high  column,  also  surmounted  by  an  image  of  the 
God-Mother,  erected  by  Ferdinand  III  in  memory  of 
the  deliverance  of  the  city  from  the  Swedes.  (It  is  an 
open  question  in  my  mind  whether  this  is  a  cause  for 
gratitude  or  not.)  Alongside  of  this,  exposed  to  view,  a 
Virgin,  Christ  on  Crucifix,  and  other  altar  insignia,  deco- 
rated with  flowers  and  branches,  around  which  the  pious 
farmers  were  kneeling  and  praying  most  devoutly.  Here 
was  something  new,  for  a  fact,  and  surprised  me  and 
shocked  me  not  a  little,  but  before  I  had  finished  my 
day's  touring  I  had  found  the  sight  a  sufficiently  com- 
mon one,  and  have  received  so  many  evidences  of  the 


[59] 

great  bigotry  of  the  populace  and  their  servile  fear  of  and 
reverence  for  the  priesthood,  whom  they  literally  treat 
as  Gods,  falling  down  in  the  middle  of  the  streets  before 
them  as  they  pass,  kissing  their  hands  and  coats,  and  per- 
forming the  wildest  antics,  that  I  am  overwhelmed  with 
a  sense  of  disgust  with  the  whole  priest-craft,  not  because 
they  make  their  congregations  devout  (on  the  contrary, 
all  credit  to  them  for  that),  but  because  to  make  them 
so,  or  rather  to  make  themselves  a  power  impregnable, 
they  retain  these  people  in  the  darkest  ignorance,which 
alone  can  render  such  blind  servility  and  idolatry  possi- 
ble.Truly  I  believe  the  Southern  ante-war  slave  was  not 
so  blind  to  his  condition  as  these  people  to  theirs.  In  one 
day  I  seemed  for  the  first  time  fully  to  appreciate  the 
danger  to  civil  government,  liberty  of  speech,  and  wor- 
ship, that  this  growing  strength  of  the  priesthood  is  pre- 
paring, and  woe  to  the  progress  of  the  world  if  it  be  not 
nipped  in  the  bud.  No  party  is  so  dangerous  as  the  one 
whose  platform  rests  upon  ignorance  and  prejudice. 

"  Wherever  you  turn  here,  in  squares,  on  walls,  houses, 
bridges,  and  fields,  images  of  Christ, Virgin,  and  Saints, 
and  everywhere  a  praying,  crossing,  and  kissing  of  wood, 
stone,  and  earth,  that  make  you  feel  as  if  you  had  got- 
ten into  church  and  could  not  get  out  again. 

"Another  peculiar  feature  of  Prague,  although  this  a 
much  pleasanter  one,  is  the  palaces  that  one  upon  the 
other  meet  the  tourist  on  every  side.  Of  course  they  hail 
from  a  day  when  Prague's  importance  in  the  council 
of  nations  was  equal  to  that  of  a  Vienna  today,  and  most 


[6o] 

of  them  look  mouldy  and  dirty,  yet  substantial  withal, 
and  claim  Gallas,Kinsky,Nostitz,and  Schlich, pointing 
to  a  Bohemian  nobility  whose  families  though  well-nigh 
extinct  today,  thanks  to  Austria -Catholic  persecution, 
are  terribly  familiar  in  the  world's  history.  The  first  of 
these  I  found  in  a  little  Huss-Strasse  on  my  way  to  the 
Carlo-bridge,  not  far  removed,  and  which  after  travers- 
ing a  few  courts  and  markets  full  of  stalls,  a  sort  of  eter- 
nal Leipsic  Messe  (fair),  I  found  also  a  center  of  attrac- 
tions. To  the  left  of  me,  I  found  a  bevy  of  churches,  and 
long  dingy-looking  houses,  steeples,  towers,  and  courts, 
which  turned  out  to  be  the  famous  Collegium  Clemen- 
tinum  —  the  first  German  College,  that  under  the  wise 
supervision  of  its  founder,  Carl  IV,  in  i  348, counted  30,- 
ooo  students  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  but  under  St. 
Wenzel,  his  successor,  who  discriminated  against  for- 
eigners, lost  most  of  them  again.  It  is  now  under  the 
control  of  Jesuits,which  candidly  means  that  it  is  an  ex- 
cellent school, and  still  counts  2,500  pupils.  In  its  court 
a  young  student  (in  marble)  carrying  banner  aloft,  erect- 
ed in  honor  of  the  part  the  students  took  in  resisting  the 
entry  of  the  Swedes  in  the  Thirty  Years' War.  In  front 
of  the  buildings  and  by  the  side  of  the  bridge,  a  splen- 
did monument  (colossal)  of  Carl  I V,  by  Hahnel,  creeled 
in  1 848  by  the  students  at  the  5ooth  anniversary  of  the 
school's  foundation — four  female  figures  of  the  Facul- 
ties,beneath  a  standing  figure  of  the  Emperor.Thebridge 
itself,one  of  the  four  orfive  that  connect  the  Altstadt  with 
the  Klein  Seite  and  Hradschin,  is  a  marvel  of  curiosities 


[6.] 

and  deserves  a  much  fuller  description  that  I  am  going  to 
give  it  —  almost  a  third  of  a  mile  long,  solidly  built  on 
huge  stone  piers,  it  is  crowned  at  either  end  with  high 
towers,which  were  intended  to  serve  as  citadels,  and  the 
one  on  this  side,  indeed,  did  in  the  aforesaid  entry  of 
the  Swedes  into  the  city  (Klein  Seite)  through  treachery 
from  within,  though  attacked  for  two  weeks,  prevent 
the  further  approach  to  the  city.  And  when,  too,  in  1 744 
the  Prussians  were  driven  out  of  here,  the  bridge  was  the 
scene  of  bloody  conflict.  The  tower  bears  the  arms  of 
all  those  countries  that  at  one  time  or  another  were  al- 
lied with  Bohemia,  the  two  emperors'statues,with  those 
of  some  Saints,  and  facing  the  other  side  of  the  river,  the 
city's  coat  of  arms.  On  its  gallery,  in  1621,  and  for  ten 
years  after,  the  heads  of  the  twenty -seven  Hussite  no- 
bles that  were  decapitated  here,were  exposed  to  view  to 
remind  how  well  the  Church  was  carrying  out  the  pre- 
cepts of  its  God:  'Do  unto  others  as  you  would  be  done 
by' — all  along  the  bridge,  one  group  after  the  other,  you 
find  colossal  images  of  the  Saints,andcrucifixions,etc. — 
notably  one  of  Nepomic,  Bohemia's  Patron  Saint,  who 
from  this  bridge  was  hurled  into  the  river  by  Wenzel, 
because  he  would  not  reveal  to  him  the  confession  of  the 
Empress.  One  group,  too,  as  the  inscription  says,  was 
erected  from  funds  belonging  to  Jews,  confiscated  by  the 
praiseworthy  council  because  the  former  would  not  do 
homage  to  the  crucifix.  One  group,  strange  it  looked  to 
me,  bore  a  Hebrew  inscription.  The  Moldau  here  is  a 
beautiful  wide  stream  and  looking  across  it  to  the  Klein 


[62] 

Seite  one  sees  a  magnificent  picture —  a  very  high  hill, 
with  dense  forest,cro  wned  withan  extensive  convent  and 
chapels  — running  down  into  the  water  to  meet  prettily 
cultivated  islands.  At  its  side  another  huge  hill,  climb- 
ing up  which  is  the  side  of  the  city,  houses  of  quaintest 
architecture,churches,and  convents  of  all  styles  and  ages, 
and  finally  upon  its  extreme  top,  the  Capitol  of  Prague, 
the  famous  Hradschin,  and  the  beautiful  Dom  in  its  very 
bosom,  a  sight  to  make  one's  heart  leap,  and  I  could  not 
gratify  my  desire  to  look  at  it  enough.  No  doubt,  I  shall 
see  finer  palaces, greater  churches, and  higher  mountains 
in  Europe,  but  I  doubt  whether  I  shall  find  again  such  a 
combination  of  the  quaint  and  beautiful,  so  warmly  sup- 
ported by  nature  as  this  Capitol,  the  Moldau,  and  these 
hills  afforded.  I  was  enjoying  one  of  those  moments  when 
I  felt  convinced  that  it  was  worth  the  while  to  come  to 
Europe  for  sightseeing  alone. 

"  On  the  square  at  the  end  of  the  Erucher  Gasse  I  found 
the  Radetzky  Derkinal  (Memorial),  erected  in  memory 
of  the  victor  of  the  Piedmontese  Campaigns  of  i  848-9, 
out  of  cannon  captured  and  after  a  model  by  Edward  and 
Joseph  Max,  who  seem  to  play  the  same  part  in  Prague 
that  Rietschel,Hahnel,and  Schilling  do  in  Dresden.The 
Marshal,  banner  in  hand,  stands  upon  a  shield  borne  by 
eight  soldiers,  typical  of  the  different  military  branches 
of  the  Austrian  army. 

"  From  here  I  started  up  the  hill  that  leads  to  the  Hrad- 
schm,  through  a  collection  of  barracks  and  churches, 
notably  the  St.  Nicolaus,  a  fine  old  church  reaching 


[63] 

way  up  into  the  heavens,  whose  green  domed  cupola  re- 
minded me  of  the  Dom  in  Dresden.  All  of  these  churches 
have  their  Schatz-Kammer  (treasure  chamber),  but  I  do 
not  propose  to  examine  them  all.  I  have  long  since  ac- 
quired a  contemptuous  indifference  for  'precious 'stones 
and  metals.  After  much  hard  breathing  and  sweating,  I 
attained  the  level  of  the  famous  square  and  at  once  found 
myself  in  the  presence  of  the  various  palaces  and  public 
buildings  that  earn  for  it  the  name  of  Capital. 

"They  are  all  old,  and  outside  at  least,  not  very  magnifi- 
cent, but  yet  very  large  and  with  a  Slavonic  ruggedness. 
There  the  palace  of  the  Cardinal  Archbishop,  opposite 
that  of  the  Schwarzenberg  family,  and  just  opposite  the 
Burg  the  old  Toscana  Palace,  now  the  property  of  the 
Emperor.  I  passed  into  the  Burg- Hof  and  found  a  marble 
palace  yellow  with  age,  winding  around  the  top  of  the 
hill  and  coiling  about  in  its  own  outer  circle  in  a  way 
to  make  one  think  of  the  perpetuum  mobile,  it  seemed 
to  have  no  end.  This  is  the  seat  of  the  old  Bohemian 
Kings,  founded  by  Carl  IVand  continually  enlarged  and 
improved  by  successors  down  to  Maria  Theresa.  I  did 
not  examine  the  interior  (the  attractions  offered  were  not 
strong  enough  to  overcome  the  horror  I  have  for  guides) 
and  I  contented  myself  with  looking  at  the  window 
from  which  in  1 6 1 8  the  two  councillors  were  thrown 
by  GrafThurn,  and  which  was  the  casus  belli  for  the 
Thirty  Years'  War.  The  jump  did  not  look  enviable,and 
the  blood  stains  had  been  removed;  I  passed  on  to  fur- 
ther inner  circles  which  enclosed  the  Metropolitan  St. 


[64] 

VeitKirche,  a  not  large  but  delightfully  graceful  Gothic 
structure,  dating  back  to  the  1 4th  century,  the  plan  of 
Auler  von  Genund,  and  though  much  injured  by  Prus- 
sian bombardment,  in  175 7,  pretty  well  restored  again, 
and  now  in  process  of  enlargement.  Its  steeple  (once 
five  hundred  feet  high ! )  was  destroyed  by  fire  but  even 
now  stands  three  hundred  feet  and  more  above  the  ele- 
vation of  the  hill.  Just  before  entering  the  Church  I 
came  upon  a  little  Chapel  which  contains  the  remains 
of  the  famous  Adalbert,  a  Hildebrand  sort  of  priest  that 
could  be  general  confessor, orator,  and  diplomat,  accord- 
ing as  the  occasion  demanded.  Here,  of  course,  there 
were  plenty  rendering  homage  and  more  than  one  fierce 
look  was  cast  at  me  for  passing  it  by  without  lifting 
my  hat.  No  offense  intended.  I  now  entered  the  Dom 
and  before  I  could  give  the  blaze  of  everything  precious 
that  dazzled  me  at  first  entrance  a  second  glance,  I  was 
seized  upon  by  a  priest,  and  in  spite  of  my  remonstrances 
dragged  into  a  Chapel  at  one  corner,  being  told  by  the 
hypocrite  that  mass  was  in  progress,  but  he  would  show 
me  something  in  the  meanwhile.  I  saw  there  was  no  re- 
sisting and  so  followed  him  and  was  forced  to  examine  in 
about  five  seconds  what  without  him  I  should  have  given 
at  least  half  an  hour,  and  saw  substantially  nothing.  At 
the  door  they  show  you  an  ivory  ring  at  which  Wenzel 
grasped  when  murdered  by  his  brother  Balestan.  In  the 
inside  the  remains  of  the  Saint,  surrounded  by  a  little 
Chapel  containing  his  helmet  and  coat  of  mail,  weigh- 
ing the  Lord  knows  how  many  pounds,  a  fine  standing 


[65] 

chandelier  with  statue  of  Wenzel  (gilded  bronze)  by  P. 
Vescher,  and  walls  inlaid  with  Bohemian  gems — mon- 
sters, of  course.  Indeed,  this  Church  is  particularly  rich 
in  holy  relics  and  temporal  treasures  of  all  sorts  and  in 
one  place  and  another  reminds  you  of  what  the  Pope's 
table  must  look  like  now,  after  treasures  have  been  pour- 
ing into  the  '  poor '  man  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Having  shown  me  this  and  asked  for  his  trinkgeld,  the 
rascally  priest  now  told  me  that  I  might  wander  about 
the  Church  proper  and  need  not  be  disturbed  by  the 
mass  which  was  always  being  celebrated  here.  I  did  so, 
and  found  the  spot  that  covers  the  remains  of  numerous 
emperors, kings,  and  consorts;  a  most  magnificent  main 
altar  and  numerous  smaller  ones  in  different  parts  of 
the  Church;  then  woodwork,  frescoes,  and  mosaics  in 
profusion;  an  old  picture,  1368,  of  Christ  by  Thomas 
von  Mutina  of  Prague,  and  good  at  that;  graves  of  holy 
people  and  royal  families  (one  doesn't  even  think  any- 
thing of  an  Emperor  more  or  less  here),  including  those 
of  St. Veit,  the  Patron  of  the  Church  and  the  first  two 
Bohemian  Ottokars.  One  really  gets  spoiled  in  rushing 
about  as  I  do  from  one  center  of  attraction  to  another, 
and  by  the  time  I  left  the  Church  I  was  thoroughly  sur- 
feited with  the  exceptionally  important  relics  that  are 
crowded  here.  It  is  only  a  wonder  to  me  that  these  pious 
Catholics  do  not  get  the  lockjaw  in  passing  through 
here,  there  is  so  much  that  calls  for  kneeling  and  cross- 
ing and  aves.  I  had  no  desire  to  examine  the  famous 
Schatx-Kammer  of  the  Cathedral,  and  hurried  out  into 


[66] 

the  fresh  air  to  get  relief  from  the  oppressive  holiness 
I  left  behind  me. 

"I  passed  out  of  the  Burg  again  on  to  another  part  of  the 
hill,where  an  enormous  Caserne— like  so  many  of  them 
an  ex-palace,  this  one  of  the  largest  in  Germany— the 
Czerninsche  Major atshuas,  faces  the  little  Chapel  San 
Loretto,  a  sort  of  summer  garden  church,  that  is  a  large 
court,  whose  enclosing  walls  are  covered  with  frescoes 
and  paintings  of  holy  personages  and  whose  niches  en- 
close shrines  and  altars,  rivaling  in  gaudy  color  and  rich- 
ness those  of  the  Dom  and  showing  the  same  reckless 
use  of  silver.  Of  course  these  had  their  devotees,  too, 
and  the  fat  unassthetic  looking  priests  that  lolled  about 
made  one  wonder  how  many  of  Prague's  200,000  peo- 
ple were  not  priests  and  Jews.  The  Capuziner  Convent 
that  leads  the  way  to  the  Reichsthor  warned  me  that  I 
was  getting  on  to  the  hills  and  away  from  the  city  and  so 
I  turned  back,  descended  the  hill  in  a  different  direc- 
tion from  which  I  had  come,  and  so  manipulating  as  to 
strike  the  Franzens  Briicke,  a  pretty  suspension  bridge 
that  leads  into  the  Neustadt.  After  enjoying  this  new 
view  of  Prague  that  the  bridge  offers,  which  made  the 
old  city  look  like  a  new  one  from  the  £>uais,  broader 
streets  and  fine  modern  mansions  that  face  the  bridge, 
I  entered  Ferdinand  Street  and  found  that  even  Prague, 
burdened  as  she  is  with  the  enormous  priest  influence, 
has  made  some  progress,  though  little,  and  has  worked 
her  way  out  of  the  old  walls  and  over  the  Graben  (moat) . 
Facing  the  river  is  a  very  stately  Bohmisches  National 


[67] 

Theatre  in  process  of  completion,  then  follow  numer- 
ous fine  business  edifices,  strengthened  by  the  unusually 
fine  Government  buildings  that  cluster  around  here,  and 
which  probably  led  the  way  for  the  general  improve- 
ment that  has  taken  place  —  another  argument  in  sup- 
port of  our  own  Government's  policy  in  lavishing  such 
enormous  sums  on  post  and  custom  house  offices  even  in 
the  smaller  cities.  It  lends  tone  to  the  local  architecture. 
At  the  end  of  the  street  as  it  leads  into  the  busy  Graben 
and  Zeltner-Gassen,  a  Chapel  and  Convent  of  St. Ursula, 
with  a  shrine  on  the  pavement  of  course,  to  the  honor 
of  St.  Napomic.  I  had  earned  the  rest  I  now  took,  and 
then  wrote  home,  in  which  letter  I  tried  to  make  them 
feel  that  some  of  the  good  cheer  that  their  letters  con- 
tained had  left  its  mark  upon  me.  I  often  feel  inclined 
to  play  the  hypocrite  in  writing  home,  in  order  to  spare 
them  the  annoyance,  if  not  pain,  that  a  gloomy  tone  must 
bring  them.  Made  my  first  investment  in  Austrian  post- 
agestamps  and  thenafter  wandering  about  without  much 
clear  design  among  the  busier  part  of  the  city,  I  tried  to 
find  if  Bohemians  looked  very  different  from  other  peo- 
ple, and  though  their  strange  tongue  is  apt  to  give  that 
impression,  I  do  n't  think  they  do,  if  one  excepts  perhaps, 
a  certain  hardness  and  sharpness  in  their  faces' outlines. 
I  was  pleased  to  find  greater  beauty  of  the  women  over 
those  of  North  Germany.  Of  course,  too,  officials  and 
soldiers  dress  differently  here;  there  are  still  plenty  of 
them,  and  this  also  helps  to  make  you  feel  that  you  have 
crossed  some  frontier.  The  people  strike  me  as  more 


[68] 

polite,  more  considerate  of  the  foreigner  than  is  the  Ger- 
man, and  far  less  vain  (perhaps  because  of  late  they  have 
had  less  temptation  to  be  so)  .This  comparison  of  peoples 
promises  to  be  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  my 
trip.  I  strolled  out  of  this  busy  center,  through  thePu/- 
verthurm,  a  pretty  little  T/ior  that  leads  out  of  the  Alt- 
stadtinto  that  collection  of  fine  comptoirs  and  warehouses 
(mainly  sugar,  a  great  industry  in  Bohemia)  that  cluster 
about  the  large  depot  of the  Staats-bahn.  I  folio  wed  along 
the  old  Konigstaf,  the  old  Royal  residence,  now  Caserne 
(barracks),  through  the  Elizabeth-Gosse  that  leads  to 
another  suspension  bridge  over  the  Moldau,  the  Franz- 
Joseph,  then  wound  my  way  back  through  the  older  part 
of  the  town  again,  not  seeing  much  that  does  not  at 
one  place  or  another  find  description  in  these  pages,  but 
which  satisfied  me  that  I  was  not  leaving  some  hidden 
treasure  in  the  city  unexplored. This  wandering  through 
relics  of  500  years  ago,  and  dreaming  of  different  times 
and  different  people  from  our  own, with  an  occasional 
discovery  of  some  more  startling  landmark,  is  a  beauti- 
ful feature  of  my  trip,  and  one  that  adorns  that  of  very 
few  tourists,  I  believe.  To  do  this,  it  is  necessary  to  travel 
alone  and  to  travel  leisurely. 

"The  day  was  finished  at  home,  sadly  and  solitarily,  as 
usual. 

"  May  24/77. I  wished  to  finish  with  Prague  today  and 
so  early  mapped  out  a  plan  of  the  day's  work  to  include 
the  see-worthy  things  I  had  as  yet  left  unseen.  Soon,there- 
fore,  in  spite  of  the  rain  that  was  drizzling  constantly 


[69] 

here,  as  it  had  been  doing  for  an  indefinite  time  previous- 
ly in  Dresden,  in  what  should  have  been  the  beautiful 
month  of  May,  I  was  on  my  way,  starting  from  the  Carlo 
Platz  in  theNeustadtythe  old  Viet  market,and  the  largest 
of  Prague's  squares,now  prettily  laid  out  in  shaded  walks. 
At  its  head  the  so  called  new  RaMaus,  old  enough, 
however,  to  have  been  the  scene  of  the  first  of  the  many 
conflicts  of  the  Huss  Wars,  and  which  Ziska  stormed  to 
free  his  captive  brothers  in  faith  and  threw  the  council 
out  of  the  window  (1419).  All  about  it  are  innumerable 
charitable  institutions  and  some  pretty  churches,  and  on 
the  road  leading  to  the  southern  limit,Wyssehrad,  the 
Benedictine  Convent  with  its'OrayStudeyLabora'  I  fol- 
lowed the  road  to  the  hill  crowned  with  fortifications, 
wound  my  way  back  as  I  had  come,  and  pushed  on  to- 
wards the  oldest  portion  of  the  city,  the  o\&Juden  Viertel, 
a  wretched  looking  quarter,  but  in  which  it  has  now  be- 
come the  privilege  of  Christian,  as  well  as  Jew,  to  curse 
that  Providence  which  seems  to  distribute  its  mundane 
gifts  so  unequally,  and  the  same  hovel  now  often  shows 
the  worship  of  Christ  in  one  corner,  the  reading  of  the 
Mosaic  law  in  the  other.  Here,  too,  is  the  oldest  building 
in  Prague  now  in  existence,  the  famous  Alt  Neu  Schule 
(Synagogue), and  as  it  was  closed  on  other  conditions,! 
allowed  my  aversion  to  guides  to  be  overcome  by  my 
strong  desire  to  see  this  curiosity, aided  by  the  argument 
urged  by  one  of  the  many  guides  who  volunteer  to  show 
you  around  here,  that  the  Kron-Prinz  had  visited  it.  A 
clock  with  Hebrew  alphabet  instead  of  figures  indicated 


the  site,  and  into  a  little  bit  of  an  old  subterranean  grotto 
I  was  ushered  by  the  porter.  It  is  called  AltNeu,  because 
the  lower  portion,  i  ,000  years  old  and  five  hundredyears 
ago  unearthed,  is  of  Byzantine  architecture,  with  yel- 
low basilicas,  and  the  newer  portion,  though  the  blacker 
from  its  smoke  that  arises  from  the  numerous  candles, 
Gothic  and  the  only  instance  on  record  of  a  synagogue 
built  in  that  school,  eminently  a  Christian  one,  and  of 
course  the  work  of  a  Christian  architect.  It  is  strictly  a 
Sc/mte,no  preacher,no  choir  or  organ,  and  the  women  are 
obliged  to  remain  in  a  separate  chamber  separated  from 
the  main  one  by  thick  walls,  connected  only  with  wee 
port-holes  which  are  opened  during  the  service  to  enable 
them  to  hear  the  reading  of  the  books  of  Moses  from  a 
Torah,  unearthed  with  the  other  relics.  They  are  during 
the  reading  placed  upon  a  huge  stone  mound  that  re- 
minds one  of  the  Druid  Altars,  and  altogether  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  unceasing  chatter  of  my  Cicerone,  I  think 
I  should  have  been  greatly  impressed  with  the  sanctity 
and  solemnity  of  the  place.  Deep  benches  along  the 
wall  might  accommodate  about  a  hundred  worshippers, 
I  should  say,  and  they  have  in  all  Prague  about  twenty 
synagogues  clustering  about  here  of  hardly  greater  size, 
to  accommodate  the  eighteen  thousand  Arch  Jews  that 
the  city  contains.  A  flag  floats  over  the  synagogue,  a  pres- 
ent from  Emperor  Ferdinand  III,  in  recognition  of  the 
Jewish  aid,  granted  to  the  defense  of  the  city  in  1648. 
Many  a  campaign  since,  fortunately,  has  offered  addi- 
tional testimony  to  the  valor  of  the  Maccabees'  follow- 


ers.  Near  by  is  the  old  graveyard  of  equal  interest,  with 
old  decayed  gravestones,  hardly  legible  Jewish  inscrip- 
tions and  family  trees,  tracing  descent  from  the  various 
tribes  of  Judah.  The  synagogue  shows  two  water  marks 
left  by  the  flood  of  the  last  two  decades,  but  fortunately 
not  strong  enough  to  have  taken  from  us  entirely  this 
beautiful  relic  of  the  mediaeval  enthusiasm  of  the  Jews. 
"  From  this  point  I  crossed  the  river  again  to  the  Hrad- 
schin  on  the  Kettenstcg,  and  below  the  Hirsch  Graben 
which  here  skirts  between  Capitol  and  endless  Casernen, 
the  hill  is  neatly  laid  out  in  garden  plots  and  walks  and 
belongs,  I  believe,  to  the  Belvedere,  built  by  Ferdinand 
I,  in  honor  of  his  wife.  The  villa  itself  I  did  not  find. 
I  had  come  over  mainly  to  see  the  Wallenstein  Palace, 
still  the  home  of  the  Wallenstein  family  and  built  by 
the  great 'Friedlander'  himself.  On  the  way  to  it,  I  found 
the  Furstenberg  Palace  which  with  the  other,  at  least  to 
outward  appearance,  indicates  massiveness  rather  than 
beauty,  and  shows  that  the  Rococo  had  not  yet  appeared 
on  the  scene  to  liven  the  dreams  of  architects.  One  really 
sees  no  signs  of  that  in  Prague,  except  as  the  modern  het- 
erogeneous school  has  felt  its  influence — the  city  belongs 
to  an  earlier  day — its  grandeur  and  its  strength, and  that  is 
evident  in  every  part  of  it  that  has  an  historical  interest." 


[72] 

CHAPTER  V 
Vienna 

UPPER  BELVEDERE. 


"M 


ONDAY,  May  28/77.  Today  I  was  prepared 
to  begin  the  work  of  doing  the  numerous 
art  collections,  and  upon  consulting  my  Stu- 
denten  Zettel,  I  concluded  to  start  with  the 
Munz  and  Antiken  Cabinet.  This  is  in  the  Burg,  and  I 
made  a  short  cut  for  it,  closing  my  eyes  to  everything 
attractive  on  the  way,  as  I  wished  to  arrive  bright  and 
fresh  at  the  collection.  It  consists  of  a  large  collection 
of  coins  and  medals,  some  forty  thousand  in  all,  of  all 
nations  and  times,  from  the  old  Grecians  to  the  1876 
Gulden  and  Kr.,its  medals  commemorating  many  inter- 
esting events.  But  I  did  not  examine  them  in  detail,  re- 
serving my  eyes  for  other  attractions  about  me.  The  An- 
tiken consists  mainly  of  old  bronzes,  very  few  of  them 
interesting  except  to  show  how  already  two  and  three 
centuries  before  Christ  very  creditable  work  was  done — 
of  Grecian  and  Etruscan  vases  —  of  Norse  and  Roman 
implements  of  war  dug  out  of  different  parts  of  Aus- 
trian territory — as  also,prehistoric  arrow-heads  and  some 
cooking  utensils  from  the  same  regions  not  so  interest- 
ing by  far  as  the  French  specimens  in  the  Smithsonian. 
The  best  feature  of  the  collection  is  the  great  amount 
of  fine  cameo  and  intaglio  work.  They  have  an  endless 
number  of  rings  here,  transparent  and  otherwise,  of  sing- 


[73] 

ular  beauty,  and  then  notably  among  the  larger  pieces, 
the  famous  Augustian  Apotheosis,  where  Augustus  is 
crowning  Roma  when  placed  among  the  Gods,  a  piece 
of  cameo  work  almost  a  foot  long,  and  exquisite  in  all 
its  details.  Also  a  very  fine  Ptolemaus  Philadelphus  and 
Arsinoe.  Agate  work  of  all  description  is  here,  salvers 
and  jewel  boxes,  etc.,  and  among  the  most  interesting 
specimens  historically,  a  bronze  plate  containing  a  de- 
cree of  the  Roman  Senate  (186  B.C.),  and  the  seal  ring 
of  the  great  Goth,  Alaric.  The  collection  fills  only  four 
or  five  small  rooms,  but  must  be  very  valuable,  though 
small  in  area.  I  walked  through  the  Hof  Garten  awhile 
to  rest  my  eyes,  examined  the  splendid  statues  of  the 
little  but  terrible  Prince  Eugene,  and  of  the  Archduke 
Charles,  with  banner  in  hand,  commemorative  of  the 
famous  moment  in  the  battle  of  Aspern,  at  which  he 
renewed  the  courage  of  his  troops  and  withstood  the 
terrible  onslaught  of  the  French  troops  that  cost  Napo- 
leon his  brave  Lannes.  Both  statues,  colossal  riding  fig- 
ures on  broad  stone  foundations,  the  latter  with  outer 
military  groups,  are  models  by  Fernbarn. 

"From  here  I  went  to  the  Schbnborn  Palais,  where  a 
small  collection  of  pictures  is  open  to  the  public,  but 
after  ascending  the  broad  staircase  and  trying  all  doors, 
I  found  admittance  nowhere,  and  then  went  over  into 
the  yosefstadt  opposite  the  growing  Rathhaus,  where 
the  Czernin  Palais  is,  and  where  a  similar  programme 
had  been  offered.  Here  I  was  more  successful,  and  spent 
a  very  pleasant  hour  among  the  three  hundred  pictures, 


[74] 

almost  all  small,  looking  for  treasures.  It  is  not  a  remark- 
able collection  but,  considering  that  it  is  the  work  of  a 
single  family,  good  enough,  and  in  certain  respects  very 
important;  e.g.  they  have  here  Murillo's  Christ  on  the 
Cross,  by  all  odds  the  best  work  of  the  genial  Spaniard 
that  I  have  seen,  a  mine  of  pathos  and  deep  feeling.  Ru- 
bens and  Van  Dyck  give  us  some  good  portraits,  as  well 
as  a  charming  Cupid,  by  the  latter.  Rembrandt  is  ac- 
credited with  a  large  Abendunterhaltung  Seiner  Familie, 
which,  if  genuine,  is  not  in  his  best  style.  A  portrait  by 
Velasquez,  always  interesting,  but  subject  to  the  same 
criticism.  Two  good  Doges  by  Titian  and  Tintoretto  — 
some  charming  miniature  genre  pictures  from  the  Hol- 
landers; i.e.  Spiel  gesellschaft  (splendid  expression), by 
Douw,  larger  ones  by  Ryckaert — Peasants  in  a  Tavern 
and  Musical  Entertainment.  Moretto,  Sassoferrato,and 
PalmaVecchio  give  us  excellent  Holy  Families,  particu- 
larly the  last,  who  gives  us  his  same  models  for  Madonnas 
and  Graces  and  females  of  all  descriptions.  A  portrait  by 
Durer,  a  school  that  I  can  always  distinguish  without  as 
yet  knowing  the  reason  why,  and  the  first  picture  of 
LeBrun's  that  I  have  seen,a  charmingVenus  and  Cupid. 
Some  of  the  jolly  little  sketches  of  Brouwer  and  Ostade, 
to  which  I  had  become  accustomed  in  Dresden,  and 
these  make  up  about  all  that  makes  a  visit  to  the  palace 
worth  the  while,  even  for  one  with  plenty  of  leisure  like 
myself. 

"Tuesday,  May  29/77.  After  consulting  my  guide- 
book, I  concluded  to  devote  today  to  the  Belvedere, 


[75] 

which  in  one  division  contains  Viennese  Gallery.  The 
day  was  when  the  thought  of  visiting  the  Viennese  Gal- 
lery would  have  made  my  heart  flutter,  and  even  today, 
the  chance  of  continuing  my  art  studies,  which  I  flatter 
myself  made  a  good  long  first  step  in  Dresden,  gave  me 
a  good  deal  of  pleasure.  At  mysuggestion,  my  landlady 
supplied  me  with  breakfast,  and  the  large  pot  of  good 
hot  coffee  served  in  the  neatest  possible  way,  sent  me  ofF 
in  good  spirits.  After  a  good  half  hour's  hard  walk,  I 
found  myself  in  Wieden,  where  the  Belvedere,  the  old 
palace  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy  and  its  beautiful  garden,  is. 
The  fine  park,  with  terraced  walks  and  arbors  built  up 
of  high  hedges,  lies  upon  a  small  hill,  which  gives  you 
a  good  view  of  the  enormously  spreadout  city,  endless 
steeples,  among  which,  of  course,  the  Stephaus  Thurm 
stands  out  distinct.  The  park  contains  a  so  called  upper 
and  lower  palace,  the  former,  holding  the  gallery,  the 
latter,  the  Ambraser  and  Antiquities.  To  the  former,  I 
directed  my  steps,  found  it  in  shape  greatly  resembling 
the  Dresden  Museum,  though  in  style,  more  nearly  that 
of  the  Zteiff£gr,with  the  endless  carving  and  sculptur- 
ing that  distinguishes  the  Rococo  of  the  builder's  period. 
In  the  vestibule,  statues  of  the  Prince  and  of  Charles  VI, 
the  cotemporary  emperor  and  friend,  and  busts  on  ped- 
estals of  Maria  Theresa,  her  husband  called  Francis  I, 
allegorical  statues  and  winged  horses  and  sphinxes  at 
both  entrances  and  the  vestibules,  as  indeed  all  the  halls, 
richly  decorated  and  frescoed,  brighter  than  but  hardly 
as  beautiful  as  Semper's  Museum. 


[76] 

"At  the  opening  hour,  I  was  ready  to  present  myself  to 
the  fifteen  hundred  pictures  which  make  up  this  collec- 
tion, if  not  so  large  as  the  Dresden  one,  perhaps  more 
carefully  selected,and  in  the  Venetian  School  and  the  Ru- 
bens and  Van  Dyck  branches  of  the  Netherland  School 
unequaled.  Many  painters,  though  I  have  not  yet  half 
finished  the  collection,  have  presented  themselves  to  me 
in  an  entirely  different  light,  and  strong  as  Titian  is,  for 
instance,  in  Dresden,  he  has  shown  a  half  dozen  different 
sides  here  that  are  not  to  be  found  there,  and  Rubens 
confirms  the  great  opinion  I  had  formed  of  him,  by  even 
more  daring  conceptions  in  every  field  of  painting,  re- 
ligious, mythical,  allegorical,  and  character.  But  it  will 
be  more  satisfactory  to  handle  our  artists  in  detail,  as 
they  disclose  themselves  in  a  survey  of  the  walls. 

"I  commence  with  the  Italian  School,  which  in  the 
main,  I  have  already  examined.  Among  the  Venetians, 
I  have  for  the  first  time  become  reconciled  to  Palma 
Giovine,  and  have  increased  my  love  for  Palma Vecchio. 
A  Mourning  over  the  Dead  Body  of  Jesus,  by  the  former, 
has  brought  about  the  change  that  the  beauty  of  its  fig- 
ures, and  the  deep  feeling  they  express,  deserve. The  lat- 
ter has  a  host  of  gems  here,  among  which  his  Heimsu- 
chung  Maria's,  and  a  lovely  Madonna.  Tintoretto,  too, 
for  the  first  time,  has  taken  hold  of  my  affections  with 
real  strength,  and  by  theunusuallylarge  collection  of  por- 
traits here  (of  which  in  all  schools  the  gallery  is  particu- 
larly rich)  rivals  even  Titian  in  strength  and  clearness  of 
delineation.  Padovanino  takes  high  rank  from  his  ex- 


[77] 

ceptionally  fine  execution  of  a  common  enough  subject, 
the  Adulteress  before  Christ,  and  Moretto's  Justina  is 
j  ustly  regarded  as  one  of  the  gems  of  the  Belvedere.  I  men- 
tion Giorgione's  Land  Surveyors  from  the  East,  more  for 
its  celebrity  than  the  striking  impression  it  made  upon 
me,while  I  made  the  pleasing  acquaintance  of  Vivarino, 
an  old  painter,  in  a  really  fine  altar  piece  on  the  goldback- 
ground  not  uncommon  early  in  the  1 5th  century.  Bor- 
done  is  numerously  represented,but  his  pictures,in  some 
striking  particular, always  leave  a  gap.  I  am  not  willing 
to  yield  Paul  Veronese  to  Titian,  but  so  far  as  this  gallery 
offers  a  chance  to  judge,  he  lags  far  behind,  and  Titian 
in  one  picture  after  the  other,  in  portrait  and  in  saint,  in 
allegory  and  in  mythology,  evinces  the  same  power  and 
beauty  and  breadth  of  conception.  I  do  not  propose  to 
dwell  on  the  many  portraits  that  delighted  me.  Of  the 
others,a  lovely  allegorical  picture  of  quiet  love  is  perfect- 
ly charming  in  its  peaceful  beauty,  and  forms  a  splendid 
set-ofF to  the  Holy  Family  and  the  beautiful  Ecce  Homo, 
both  breathing  the  purest  religious  sentiment  and  purity. 
In  this  latter  field,  particularly,  I  was  surprised  to  find 
him  so  great. Titian's  strength  in  this  gallery  corresponds 
to  Veronese's  in  the  Dresden,although  his  Annunciation, 
Christ  and  Adulteress,  Christ  and  the  Samaritan,  Christ 
and  the  SickWoman,  Madonna  with  Catherine  and  Bar- 
bara (a  splendid  picture  and  for  me  a  charming  subject 
at  all  times), excited  the  enthusiasm  that  is  sure  to  fol- 
low when  I  see  the  great  Venetian  at  his  best.  He  is  a 
great  favorite  with  me. 


[78] 

"ROMAN  SCHOOL. 

"Here  we  have  an  original  Raphael,  and  of  course, 
this  interested  me  most.  It  is  the  so  called  Madonna  im 
Grunen,  and  while  it  possesses  many  attractive  features, 
particularly  the  grace  and  smoothness  that  distinguishes 
this  school,  it  hardly  seems  to  come  from  the  same  hand 
that  painted  the  Sixtine  Madonna.  A  superior  produc- 
tion, once  attributed  to  him,  is  the  Margaret  by  Guilio 
Romano,  and  the  gem  of  this  room,  so  bright  and  fresh 
and  beautiful  as  one  hardly  expects  to  find  it  in  so  obscure 
a  name.  Two  excellent  Madonnas  and  Saints,  by  Peru- 
gino,  one  by  Baldi,  a  great  picture  by  Maratta,  Jesus  Be- 
moaning the  Death  of  Joseph,  and  some  good  work  by 
Raphael  Mengs  also  deserve  special  mention.  And  two 
battle  scenes,  small  but  very  powerful,  made  up  for  the 
disappointment  with  Salvator  Rosa's  work  in  Dresden 
that  I  had  experienced. 

"This  room  leads  into  a  splendid  cabinet  with  beau- 
tiful busts  of  Francis  I  and  Francis  Joseph,  and  contains 
the  famous  large,  richly  decorated  iron  album  that  was 
presented  to  the  Emperor  in  1 8  7  3,  by  the  city,in  celebra- 
tion of  the  26th  anniversary  of  his  ascending  the  throne. 

"FLORENTINE  SCHOOL. 

"  Here,  of  course,  we  look  with  greatest  interest  for 
da  Vinci,  of  whom  there  are  no  originals,  and  del  Sarto, 
who  gives  us  several,  none  of  which  pleased  me,  al- 
though I  believe  connoisseurs  lay  great  stress  upon  his 
Pieta,  the  technical  name  for  the  adoration  paid  to  the 


[79] 

dead  body  of  Christ,  taken  from  the  Cross.  Carlo  Dolce, 
to  be  sure,  is  another  of  the  stars  of  first  magnitude  of 
his  school,  and  champions  his  reputation  to  the  full  by 
his  Madonna  with  the  Child.  Fra  Bartolomeo  also  de- 
serves kinder  treatment  by  virtue  of  his  Presentation  in 
the  Temple,  which  breathes  a  spirit  of  quiet  piety  in 
charming  style  (1506).  Two  pictures  of  Gentileschi, 
pretentious,  though  not  overstepping  his  abilities,  and 
one  by  Raibotini  (Bolognese),also  stand  out  from  even 
the  general  excellence. 

"BOLOGNESE  AND  LOMBARD  SCHOOLS. 

"Correggio  offers  very  little,  his  Rape  of  Ganymede, 
a  single  exception  perhaps.  Unfortunately,  his  Jupiter 
and  lo  was  missing.  I  do  not  consider  his  portraits  mas- 
terpieces.The  Caraccis,  too,  lag  behind  here,if  we  except 
Lodovico's  fine  Ven  us  and  Amor,  the  former  particularly, 
a  very  model  of  a  Goddess  of  Love.  Guido  Reni's  Bap- 
tism of  Christ  is  the  finest  in  his  collection,  while  Ci- 
gnani  proves  that  my  liking  acquired  for  him  through 
his  Joseph  and  Potiphar  is  not  accidental.  His  Madonna 
here  is  a  great  beauty.  The  greatest  attraction  in  this 
room,  however,  is  offered  by  Parmigiano's  work,  which 
in  the  well  known  Amor  the  Bowmaker,  and  the  splen- 
did portrait  of  the  Florentine  general  Baglione  would 
alone  repay  a  visit  to  the  gallery.  Procaccini's  Pieta  will 
take  almost  equal  rank.  Dossi  and  Guercino  lag  behind. 

"SPANISH  SCHOOL. 
"The  next  room  contained  many  a  pleasant  surprise 


[8o] 

for  me,  and  in  the  frequency  with  which  I  found  the 
name  of  Velasquez,  anticipated  a  treat  that  did  not  fail 
me.  I  had  as  yet  seen  nothing  but  single  portraits  of  him, 
and  some  indeed,  notably  the  one  in  Boston,  superior  to 
these,  but  then  the  larger  groups  here  of  which  the 
most  delightful  is  his  own  family,  whose  many  interest- 
ing faces  must  have  afforded  him  a  task  just  suited  to 
his  tastes.  Then,  too,  the  charming  little  Infanta,  whose 
quaint  but  rich  costumes  receive  an  accuracy  in  the  por- 
trayal of  the  minutest  details,  which  must  satisfy  even 
the  most  exacting  marchande  de  modes.  His  Idiot  is  a  very 
king  ofnon  compos  mentis.  Among  the  others,  Bonifazio's 
two  groups  of  saints  are  good,  and  Luca  Giordana's  Ex- 
pulsion of  the  Rebellious  Angels  is  a  masterpiece,  and 
the  main  figure,  Michael,  a  magnificent  conception  ri- 
valing decidedly  even  the  beautiful  one  of  Raphael's, 
with  which,  as  an  engraving,  we  are  all  familiar. 

"I  am  now  prepared  to  begin  with  the  great  collec- 
tion from  the 

"NETHERLAND  SCHOOL. 

"The  rooms  are  divided  into  seven,  called  respectively 
the  Rembrandt,  Landscape,  Van  Dyck,  Two  Rubens, 
Teniers,  and  then  Miscellaneous. 

"Most  of  the  Rembrandts  are  portraits,  the  best  per- 
haps, that  of  his  mother  and  those  of  himself  at  different 
ages,  and  indeed,  both  here  and  in  Dresden,  I  got  the 
notion  that  he  is  more  successful  in  painting  himself  and 
his  beautiful  wives  than  any  others.  Two  large  pictures 


[Si] 

by  JanVan  Eyck  and  Jordaens  are  here,  Dutch  Fish  Mar- 
kets, and  one  in  particular  which  represents  an  alterca- 
tion about  a  bargain  is  splendidly  painted.  The  idea 
occurs  to  me  here  that  while  this  collection  is  very  strong 
in  this  school,  it  is  not  so  much  so  from  the  number  of 
its  paintings  as  from  the  importance  of  most  of  them, 
which  excellently  point  out  its  prominent  features  and 
give  us,  particularly  with  Van  Dyck  and  Rubens,  some 
of  its  greatest  paintings  without  including  the  many  art- 
ists and  the  growth  of  each  that  makes  the  Dresden 
Gallery  so  strong  in  this  department.  Strong  portraits  by 
Hoogstraeten  and  Fluich,  one  excellent  poultry  picture 
byHondekaeter,  who  seems  to  represent  in  this  branch 
of  natural  history  the  place  that  De  Heem  and  Mignon 
do  in  flowers.  Ian  Fyt  also  deserves  praise  for  a  good  pic- 
ture of  animals  disturbing  a  breakfast  and  caught  in  the 
act  by  a  beautiful  youth. 

"The  landscape  room  gives  us  some  very  pretentious 
pictures  by  Artois,  some  excellent  marine  pictures  and 
fights, by  Backhuysen,  and  Bonaventura  Peters  and  some 
small  landscapes  by  Ruysdael,  not  equal  to  his  best,  but 
deserving  mention  as  coming  from  so  great  a  master.  Of 
course  I  have  reference  to  the  great  Jacob,  the  younger, 
whose  Jewish  Cemetery,  among  others,  had  excited  my 
enthusiasm  in  Dresden. 

"I  was  glad  to  get  to  Van  Dyck,  and  first  of  all,  must 
say  of  him  what  I  said  of  Titian:  I  was  surprised  to  find 
him  so  successful  in  the  religious  pictures,  which  have 
a  subdued  feeling  of  piety  which  one  would  think  im- 


[82] 

possible  in  any  Dutchman  of  his  period,  none  the  less, 
in  him.  His  Madonna  and  Saints,Christ  on  the  Cross,  and 
Christ  Derided,  could  hardly  be  spared  to  appreciate  the 
versatility  of  his  genius.  His  portraits  are  numerous,  and 
of  that  same  excellence,  which  long  ago  made  me  pre- 
fer him  in  that  respect, even  to  his  two  great  rivals,  Rem- 
brandt and  Rubens.  A  good  word  for  Crayen's  Mary  on 
the  Throne  receiving  Homage,  and  we  are  ready  for 
Rubens. 

"The  first  of  the  two  salons  that  contain  his  best  pic- 
tures, is  filled  with  but  a  few  enormous  affairs,  which, 
without  regard  for  details  in  their  general  effect,  whether 
breathing  horror,  love,  or  religious  fervor,  inspire  one 
with  admiration  —  the  conception  is  so  lofty,  and  even 
if  on  closer  examination  I  did  not  find  every  face  and 
figure  just  to  my  taste,  I  cannot  deny  the  general  pleas- 
ure that  they  gave  me.  The  larger  ones  are  Loyola  Cur- 
ing those  Possessed  of  the  Devil,  Ascension  of  Mary,  and 
Xavier  Preaching  —  enormous  pictures;  a  splendid  Am- 
brosius  Refusing  Theodosius  Admission  into  the  Milan- 
ese Church,  Meleager  and  Atalanta  Killing  the  Calydo- 
nian  Boar,  Scene  from  the  Decameron,  and  perhaps  the 
best  of  all,  the  Four  Quarters  of  the  Globe,  illustrated  by 
allegorical  representations  of  their  largest  rivers:  Ganges, 
Nile,  Danube,  and  Amazon,  in  which  it  would  be  hard  to 
tell  which  pleased  me  best,  the  beauty  of  the  intellectual 
branch,  the  conception,  or  the  skill  and  vigor  of  the  me- 
chanical execution.  Of  his  pictures  in  the  next  room, 
I  liked  his  Madonna  with  four  female  saints,  and  St. 


[83] 

Ildephon  with  side  figures  of  the  Archduke  Albrecht, 
and  his  wife,  rendering  homage,  best  —  among  the  por- 
traits most  noteworthy,  a  nude  figure  of  his  second  wife, 
Helene  Formann,  a  veritable  model. 

"Two  smaller  rooms  contain  a  great  assortment  of 
mainly  cabinet  pictures,  with  fair  samples  of  that  school 
of genre,  which  we  maysay  such  masters  as  Douw,Metsu, 
Teniers,  Ostade,  Brouwer,Van  Mieries,  Ferburg,  Net- 
scher,Ryckaert,and  that  class, have  originated.  Particu- 
larly, in  these  miniature  sketches,  do  they  often  give  us 
the  most  delightful  incidents  of  life.  In  addition  to  works 
by  many  of  these  that  are  found  in  this  little  room,  spe- 
cial stress  should  be  laid  on  a  head  of  a  man  and  one 
of  a  woman,  portraits,  I  believe,  which  may  verily  be 
called  the  perfection  of  painting,  leaving  nothing  to  be 
wished  for,  and  a  very  microscopical  minuteness  of  de- 
tail. I  have  seen  nothing  finer  from  any  hand  in  any 
school.  They  are  by  Balthazar  Denner.  Among  the  fruits 
and  flowers,  Huysum  and  De  Heem  seem  to  offer  us  the 
best.  Schalpen  gives  us  a  charming  little  woman  with 
a  candle. 

"In  Teniers'  salon  (of  course  I  am  referring  to  the 
younger),  the  most  remarkable  work  is  a  picture  of  the 
gallery  of  Archduke  Leopold  Wilhelm,DutchStadthalt- 
er  (whose  collection,  with  that  of  Rudolph  II,  formed 
the  nucleus  for  this  one),  with  miniature  copies  of  his 
pictures,  most  of  them  here,  and  wonderfully  well  repro- 
duced, an  Abraham's  Sacrifice,  a  peasant  wedding,  and  a 
scene  in  Brussels,  in  which  the  aforesaid  Archduke  be- 


[84] 

fore  a  great  crowd  of  people  is  presented  with  a  bow  for 
good  shooting  in  a  contest.  Ryckaert  gives  us  two  ex- 
cellent scenes  from  peasant  life  in  Holland.  Jan  Steen 
also  a  good  one  and  Cornelius  Schut  a  fine  Hero  over 
the  Dead  Body  of  Leander.  The  next  and  last  of  the  sa- 
lons on  this  etage,  deserves  special  mention  only  because 
of  the  jolly  festival  of  the  Eohner  Konigy  by  Jordaens,  in 
which  every  figure  is  an  illustration  of  its  adage,  Nil  simi- 
lius  insano  quam  ebrinis,  and  the  Tavern,  by  Craesbecke, 
in  the  same  spirit,  and  much  ability.  It  was  now  near 
the  closing  hour,  and  I  reserved  the  second  story  for  an- 
other day,  and  started  home  in  the  almost  tropical  sun, 
that  made  the  air  seem  to  breathe  fire. 

"  I  went  down  the  Rennweg,  passed  the  Militar  Sa?n- 
me/znd  Transport  Haus  opposite  the  palace,  turned  over 
into  the  Augustiner  Platz,  by  the  convent  and  church, 
into  the  Graben,  bought  some  cigars,  which  are  dearer 
and  poorer  here  than  in  Germany,  from  the  monopoly 
and  heavy  duty,  and  then  took  the  usual  route  home,  and 
for  three  hours  kept  to  my  sofa,  too  tired  to  sleep  and  too 
sore  to  move. 

"Wednesday,  May  29/77.  I  concluded  to  continue 
my  work  at  the  Belvedere,  and  was  promptly  on  the  spot, 
though  in  poor  condition  for  the  work.  I  commenced 
with  the  second  etage  in  the 

"ALTDEUTSCH  UND  ALTNlEDERLANDISCHE  ScHULEN. 

"It  is  noticeable  here  that  a  great  many  paintings, 
particularly  German,  do  not  give  us  the  names  of  their 


[85] 

creators,  and  I  can  only  explain  this  with  that  peculiar- 
ity of  the  middle  ages  by  which  work  (and  most  of  these 
are  altar  pieces  and  ornaments)  was  done  by  a  guild  or 
school  and  not  by  individuals,  and  there  is  no  telling  but 
what  many  hands  and  heads  may  have  been  combined 
to  produce  what  there  is  here.  This  suggestion  is  en- 
tirely original,  and  I  give  it  for  what  it  may  be  worth. 
Most  prominent  among  the  workers  whose  names  are 
here,  are  A.  Durer,  Holbein,  the  Prague  painters,Theo- 
dorich,  and  Mutina  — Amberger,  van  der  Weyden,  the 
two  Van  Eycks,  the  two  Massys,  and  Harleem.  After 
them  come  those  whose  schools  belong  to  a  class  with 
which  we  are  more  familar.  Durer's  masterpiece  is  here, 
the  first  large  picture  by  him  that  I  have  seen, represent- 
ing theTrinity,and  mainly  pleasing,  I  fear,  as  in  the  case 
of  many  other  old  masters,  because  we  expect  so  little 
and  examine  him  by  a  different  standard  than  we  do  one 
of  the  present  day  who  has  the  benefit  of  the  best  schools 
and  models.Though  even  with  the  strictest  criticism,one 
must  admit,  I  think,  that  the  present  generation,  while 
perhaps  the  most  fecund,  is  hardly  the  most  successful 
in  the  history  of  painting.  We  respect  the  1 6th  and  i  yth 
centuries  for  something  else  than  age. 

"Durer's  Slaughter  of  the  Christians  under  the  Per- 
sian Sapor  II,  is  also  famous,  but  I  pass  over  the  num- 
erous supply,  both  of  his  works  and  the  Cranachs,  that 
the  collection  possesses,  many  of  which  are  interesting 
only  by  the  side  of  better  ones  that  the  same  masters 
have  given  us.  Holbein  is  well  represented  by  portraits, 


[86] 

not  of  uniform  excellence  by  any  means,  but  his  John 
Chambers  and  DerichTybis  in  his  best  style.  Memling 
and  Amberger  stand  out  prominently,  and  van  derWey- 
den  gives  us  two  miniature  pictures:  Madonna  andChild, 
and  Catherine,  which  are  absolutely  beautiful.  Of  the 
Massys'  work  the  most  clever  is  quite  a  large  picture  by 
the  less  eel ebrated,Johann,  subject  like  almost  all  here 
religious  and  historical  only,  as  the  artists  of  the  Church 
have  been  involved.  Mabuse  gives  us  a  good  little  Ma- 
donna. 

"In  the  third  room  are  some  excellent  portraits  by 
Franz  and  Peter  Pombus,  and  Anton  Moor,  some  unusu- 
ally good  work  by  Franz  Francken,  especially  his  Croesus 
Showing  Solon  his  Treasures,  and  some  stiffold  pictures 
from  life  in  the  Netherlands, by  Peter  Brueghel.  Some 
large  landscapes  by  Lucas  Van  Valkenburgh  are  only 
large. 

"The  next  room  and  the  last  of  this  collection  gives 
us  more  modern  pictures,  and  while  their  moral  tone 
is  an  exceedingly  low  one,  many  of  them  have  consid- 
erable merit,  particularly  those  of  Josef  Heinz,  while 
John  Achen,  Joach  von  Sandrat,  and  Spranger  often  rise 
to  strong  performances. 

"  From  here  I  went  into  the  modern  school,  some  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pictures,  mostly  by  Austrian  artists  of  the 
last  fifty  years,  in  whom  a  love  of  strong  coloring  seems 
to  predominate,  with  very  few  other  strong  features.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  that  most  of  the  work  seems  to  be 
done  in  Munich, Rome,Paris,etc.,indicating,and  I  be- 


lieve  correctly,  that  in  modern  art,  Vienna  has  scarcely 
yet  completed  her  Parthenon. 

"In  the  first  room  two  large  Angelica  Kaufmanns, 
which  attracted  me  only  by  the  name,  a  good  portrait  of 
the  Archduke  Leopold,  dressed  as  knight  in  theVienna 
winter  riding  school,  by  Amerling,  a  good  knight  in  jail 
(I  have  not  traced  the  incident  to  its  historical  place), 
by  Leopold  Schulz,  and  three  noteworthy  pictures  by 
KrafFt,  the  two  larger  ones  representing  the  departure 
from  and  return  home  of  a  landwehry  beautifully  con- 
ceived, finely  colored,  but  wanting  in  vigor  of  execu- 
tion. The  faces  do  not  disclose  the  subject;  that  is  left  to 
the  surroundings.  The  other,  however,  a  fight  between 
Austrians  and  Turks  for  the  possession  of  a  bridge,  cor- 
rects this  latter  fault,  and  retains  the  virtues  of  the  other 
two. 

"The  next  room  showed  me  my  first  picture  of  Ma- 
kart's:  'I  am  coming,  Romeo,'  in  which  the  latter  on 
his  awakening  finds  that  Juliet  has  killed  herself,  a  fine 
picture  certainly, and  full  of  poetry,  though  sometimes 
lacking  strength.  A  large  black  picture  by  Schnorr,  of 
Carolsfeld,  of  Faust  Receiving  Mephisto  at  his  Studies 
is  good,  and  an  Apotheosis  of  Francis  I  between  two 
angels,  one  carrying  the  olive  branch,  the  other,  the  lau- 
rel wreath,  by  Fuger,  is  very  beautiful.  A  pretty  little 
landscape  by  Pausinger,  with  deer,  representing  the  in- 
ner part  of  a  forest,  and  L.  Russ' Storming  of  the  Lowe/ 
Bashon  by  the  Turks,  are  here  among  others  by  Fried- 
lander,  Blaas,  Schone,  etc.,  less  praiseworthy. 


[88] 

"In  the  third  salon,  I  give  the  preference  to  L'Alle- 
mand's  Battle  at  Znaim,  a  pretty  little  picture  of  a  dog 
watching  a  sleeping  babe,  by  Felix,  two  fine  landscapes 
by  Haushofer  and  Buhlmayer,  the  latter  representing  a 
drove  of  cattle  returning  in  the 'dusk  of  evening 'from 
pasturage,and finally, Duke  Frederich  I Vshowing  him- 
self to  the  enthusiastic  Tyrolese,  a  strong  picture  by 
Schem. 

"In  the  last  of  the  rooms,  one  cannot  avoid  the  im- 
posing picture  of  Canon's,  Die  Loge  Johannes,  whose 
finest  feature  is  his  Moses,  evidently  inspired  by  the 
sculpture  of  Angelo's.  Equally  so  with  Eugerth's  pic- 
ture of  the  seizure  of  Manfred's  wife  and  children,  by 
order  of  Charles  of  Savoy,  which  does  full  justice  to  the 
most  beautiful  woman  and  children  of  the  most  beautiful 
couple  of  that  day,  and  inspires  the  children  with  the 
knightly  chivalry  for  which  the  father  was  noted,  re- 
minding one  of  brave  little  MacdufF,  in  Macbeth,  who 
was  going  to  champion  his  mother  against  the  attacks 
of  the  tyrant's  assassins.  Decker  gives  us  two  pretty  genres 
in  pastel,  Ruben  a  fine  battle  picture,  and  Rahl(a  strong 
man  among  the  Austrian  painters)  a  splendid  Kriem- 
hilde  Swearing  Vengeance  against  Hagen  over  the  Dead 
Body  of  Siegfried.  While  little  of  a  very  high  character 
had  been  offered  me  here,  I  had  been  greatly  relieved 
by  the  brightness  of  this  portion  of  the  collection,  and 
the  decided  change  of  subjects  that  the  modern  school 
offers,  and  was  now  prepared  to  return  to  older  coun- 
tries, and  finish  the  gallery.  I  had  sandwiched  wisely, 


[89] 

and  my  appetite  was  whetted  for  what  remained  of  the 
old  masters  in  the  Erdgeschloss. 

"To  the  left  of  the  entrance  that  I  have  already  de- 
scribed, we  find  more  Italian  pictures  of  all  ages  and 
schools,  mostly  not  worthy  of  a  close  examination,  but 
containing  however  among  them  some  fairVeroneses 
and  Titians,  etc.,  a  splendid  Mary  and  Joseph  with  child 
embracing  a  cross,  by  Padoranino,  the  onty  real  fine 
Annibale  Caracci  in  the  collection,  a  Venus  and  Adonis 
(why could  not  these  Italian  painters  paint  their  Madon- 
nas as  beautiful  as  theirVenuses?),and  then  the  Jupiter 
and  lo  of  Correggio's  that  I  had  mourned  as  missing. 
If  it  did  not  reconcile  me  to  Correggio's  reputation,  I 
found  it  the  best  evidence  here  of  the  skill  attributed  to 
him,  and  really  a  graceful  picture  of  Jupiter;  nothing  is 
visible  except  an  indistinct  head  in  the  clouds  gently 
kissing  lo.  As  I  proceeded,  I  found  a  good  Madonna  by 
Cignaroli,  a  great  deal  of  mediocre  work  by  Luca  Gior- 
dano, a  beautiful  Agnus  Det,  St.  John  the  Baptist  as  child, 
by  Murillo, being  a  lamb  led  by  Christ  child,  a  most  ten- 
der picture,  and  a  strong  Samson  and  Delilah  by  Van 
Dyck.  Opposite  the  hall  a  small  collection  of  miscel- 
laneous Dutchmen  of  which  the  best  is  some  work  by 
Snyders,who  in  the  painting  of  boar  and  fox  hunts  by 
dogs,  seems  most  successful,  and  then  two  large  pictures 
by Jansens,  Diana  representing  Night  and  Apollo,  Day, 
both  surrounded  by  a  ring  of  beautiful  little  angels— the 
latter  picture,  however,  decidedly  the  better.  A  series  of 
Aquarellen  pictures  by  Moritzvon  Schwind  are  also  here, 


[90] 

telling  the  sad  story  of  Melusina  of  Lusignan,  and  only 
made  interesting  by  their  subject.  With  a  word  for  the 
twelve  or  fifteen  pieces  of  sculpture,  contained  in  the 
rotundas,  I  shall  have  done  with  the  Upper  Belvedere. 
These  embrace  among  others,  specimens  by  Ralph  Don- 
ner,Schaller,Marchesi,Kessling,Kalhsmann,and  others, 
and  include  some  very  pretty  pieces. 

"  I  am  not  overwhelmed  at  all  by  the  sense  of  the  great- 
ness of  this  collection,  but  it  possesses  much  that  is  of 
importance  to  the  student,  has  certainly  been  of  great 
assistance  to  me,  in  forming  more  accurate  notions  of 
what  is  beautiful  and  strong,  and  in  certain  respects ;  viz., 
Titian,  Velasquez,  Rubens,  Van  Dyck,  and  the  very  old 
schools,  is  exceptionally  strong.  The  style  of  exhibition 
is  similar  to  the  one  in  Dresden,  each  picture  bearing  the 
name  of  the  master,  when  known,  with  the  date  of  his 
birth  and  death.  I  felt  when  I  returned  home,  as  if  I  had 
concluded  a  great  task  and  almost  relieved  to  think  that 
in  spite  of  the  sad  condition  of  my  eyes,  I  was  enabled 
to  prosecute  it  to  completion. 

"PROCESSION  AND  MASS. 

"Thursday,  May  3 1  ,'77.Today  is  the  last  of  the  month 
of  May,  and  the  Frohnleichnamsfest,  a  great  day  in  all 
Catholics' country  and  particularly  in  Vienna,  and  I  was 
advised  on  all  hands  to  go  and  see  the  great  procession. 
Tribunes  have  been  built  all  about  the  Stephans  Platz — 
seats  and  standing  room  are  sold  at  high  prices  and  as 
early  as  four  in  the  morning  the  people  are  crowding 


to  get  a  good  place  to  see  the  show.  I  went  to  the  P/afz 
about  y:30,was  fortunate  enough  to  get  standing  room, 
by  paying  50  kr.  to  one  of  the  men  who  make  capital  out 
of  the  religious  fervor  of  the  Catholics,  and  saw  every- 
thing to  my  heart's  content. 

"The  show  consists  of  a  great  procession  from  the 
StephansKtrche,  after  the  celebration  of  mass,  which  can 
be  attended  only  by  those  who  take  part  in  the  proces- 
sion, that  is  the  priests  from  the  different  churches  in 
their  vestments,  the  different  orders  of  monks,  and  ban- 
ners and  insignia,  then  the  'Magistrat  and  Gemeinde '  of 
the  city  in  court  costume,  then  the  various  *  Rathe  of  the 
Empire'  the  nobility,  after  whom  followed  the  Arch- 
bishop walking  under  the  canopy ,who  took  precedence 
of  the  Emperor  who  walked  behind  with  the  Arch- 
dukes and  the  Ministry,  among  whom  I  noticed  An- 
drassy  in  his  brilliant  dress  of  the  Hungarian  nobili- 
ty. The  Empress  usually  attends  but  was  in  Ischl  this 
time.  Behind  the  Emperor  came  a  detachment  of  the 
Hungarian  guard,  magnificently  equipped  and  mount- 
ed and  then  some  Austrian  cuirassiers  and  infantry ,who 
brought  up  the  rear.  Everybody  of  course  appeared  at 
his  best,  and  the  most  brilliant  costumes  and  breasts  full 
of  decorations  abounded.  The  line  of  march  was  enclosed 
by  military  and  police  the  whole  way,  and  the  walk  a 
special  one  for  the  occasion,  made  of  boards  strewn  with 
leaves.  All  but  the  military  walked  and  walked  bare- 
headed, although  the  march  was  long  enough  to  include 
the  Graben,  Kohlmarkt,  Karntner  Gasse,  and  back  to  the 


[92] 

church  again,  where  the  priests  disbanded  to  their  vari- 
ous churches  to  perform  the  service  of  the  day,  and  the 
court  in  splendid  equipages  drove  to  their  palaces.  The 
King  with  his  brother  Ludwig  Victor  rode  in  a  richly 
gilded  coach  drawn  by  eight  white  horses,with  outriders, 
and  other  members  of  the  family  in  three  other  coaches 
with  six  horses  each.  The  richer  nobles  too  gave  us  some 
brilliant  teams.  During  the  procession  of  course  bands 
played,  heralds  constantly  blew  their  trumpets,  church 
bells  were  tolling,  and  certainly  Vienna  had  put  on  her 
holiday  attire.  The  procession  was  not  remarkable  so 
much  for  its  size  as  for  its  brilliancy,  but  that  recalled 
the  splendor  of  royal  pageants  in  the  middle  ages  and 
dim  visions  of  Charles  V,  Francis,  and  Henry  VIII,  and 
the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold.  Not  the  least  interesting 
feature  of  the  occasion,  was  the  enormous  mass  of  peo- 
ple that  from  every  part  of  city  and  suburb  poured  into 
this  neighborhood.  For  an  hour  after  the  procession  had 
ceased  the  streets  were  scarcely  passable  with  those  re- 
turning and  indeed  all  day  long  such  of  the  more  popu- 
lar resorts,  as  thePraterRing  and  Volks  Garten,  are  a  con- 
stant mass.  Theatres  all  and  stores  very  generally  closed. 
"In  the  evening  I  went  into  town  to  hear  mass  cele- 
brated in  the  Universita? s  Kirche,  and  though  the  eve- 
ning was  balmy  and  pleasant,  it  was  all  I  could  do  to 
crowd  my  way  to  the  inside  of  the  church,  and  in  bear- 
ing the  constant  pressure  of  the  throng,  get  an  occa- 
sional glimpse  through  the  columns  at  the  beautiful 
church  now  splendidly  decorated  and  illuminated  and 


[93] 

hear  something  of  the  mass,  not  known  to  me  but  very 
fine  and  well  sung  and  to  great  effect  with  orchestral 
and  organ  accompaniment.  An  Agnus  Dei  with  violin 
obligato  in  the  twilight  of  the  evening  and  in  the  midst 
of  a  most  passionate  service  and  worshippers,  and  a  Gloria 
supported  by  organ  and  cornets,  is  as  fine  a  treat  as  I  ever 
wish  to  enjoy.  The  effect  was  immense.  From  the  style  I 
imagine  the  mass  was  by  Haydn.  The  sermon  laid  great 
stress  on  the  necessity  of  strong  intervention  with  Mary, 
for  the  Or  a  pro  Nobis,  and  one  may  get  some  idea  of  the 
zeal  of  these  Viennese  when  even  these  exacting  priests 
admit  that  they  are  well  satisfied  with  what  their  hear- 
ers have  offered  in  this  respect.  Strange  to  say,  Vienna 
is  hardly  an  improvement  on  Prague.  By  seven,  I  was 
prepared  to  improve  the  fine  evening  by  a  walk  through 
the  Ring  and  Volks  Garten,  where  Eduard  Strauss  was 
directing  a  concert  from  which  I  caught  only  a  few  dis- 
tant strains,  and  then  went  home,  leaving  the  streets  full 
of  life  and  happy  faces,  foppish  dandies  and  giddy-head- 
ed girls,with  every  degree  of  beauty  and  propriety  from 
o  —  to  infinity. 

"  LOWER  BELVEDERE. 

"Friday,  June  1/76.  Today  my  objective  point  was 
the  Lower  Belvedere.  I  selected  a  different  route  this 
time,  passed  over  the  Elizabeth  Bridge  from  the  Ring, 
which  is  crowned  by  eight  statues,  prominent  rulers  of 
the  early  dukedom  as  well  as  men  distinguished  for  artis- 
tic work,  passed  out  of  the  city  between  the  Obst  Markt 


[94] 

and  Wieden,  where  the  Emangelische  Schule,  the  Polytech- 
nicum,  and  Karl's  Kirche  form  a  long  square, with  a  park 
between  it  and  the  Wien,  of  which  this  morning,  hardly 
aught  was  visible  but  its  stony  bed.  A  glance  into  the 
church,  beautiful  of  course  and  unique,  because  of  its 
high  broad  cupola — service  in  progress  as  it  is  in  Vienna, 
in  all  churches,  and  at  all  times,  then  a  peep  at  the  statue 
of  Resul,  the  inventor  of  the  screw,  which  stands  in  the 
park,  and  is  also  a  model  by  Fernborn,  then  over  into 
the  Rennwegpast  the  Mi/itarSamme/znd  Transport  Haus, 
and  on  the  same  street  the  lower  entrance  to  the  Belve- 
dere which  was  my  destination.  Here  are  the  Antiqui- 
ties, the  Egyptian,  and  the  Ambraser  collections,  and 
with  the  former  I  promptly  set  to  work,  as  it  is  the  first 
to  meet  you  as  you  enter. 

"ANTIKEN  SAMMLUNG. 

"This  consists  mainly  of  busts,  mosaics,  reliefs,  arms, 
and  domestic  utensils,  which  have  been  found  in  excava- 
tions made  in  one  place  or  another,  covering  a  period  of 
perhaps  three  to  four  thousand  years.  Of  the  busts  most 
are  those  of  Roman  Emperors,  generals  and  their  wives, 
and  with  the  exception  of  but  few,  of  surpassing  beauty. 
Their  main  interest  to  me  consisted  in  endeavoring  to 
find  in  their  faces  some  expression  of  the  character  with 
which  history  has  stamped  them,  and  even  that  task  at 
the  outset  looks  ungrateful  when  we  think  how  even  at 
the  present  day  our  statues,  instead  of  showing  us  the  in- 
ner life  and  character  of  their  subjects,  only  endeavor  to 


[95] 

approximate  the  models  of  gods  and  heroes  that  the 
ancients  have  given  us.  To  be  sure,  the  ideal  beauty  re- 
mains, and  when  the  work  is  artistic  I  can  enjoy  it  as 
I  would  a  fine  Zeus  or  Venus — when  that  fails  you  are 
groping  in  the  dark.  A  peculiar  feature  that  I  had  not 
noticed  before  on  any  sculptures,  I  found  here  occasion- 
ally, in  the  movable  wig  which  is  simply  rested  on  the 
head  and  like  a  wig  can  be  removed.  In  addition  to  these 
busts,  they  have  a  Grecian  tombstone  or  two,  a  bas-relief 
of  a  figure  with  the  inscription  of  time  of  birth  and 
death.  Some  splendid  specimens  of  large  black  granite 
Egyptian  sarcophagi,  whose  inside  and  outside  are  one 
mass  of  hieroglyphics  and  excellently  well  preserved. 
The  most  famous  one  is  the  so  called  Fugger  Sarcoph- 
agus because  found  by  Graf  Fugger  near  Ephesus  and 
presented  by  him  to  the  museum.  Its  four  sides  are  or- 
namented by  reliefs  illustrating  the  Battle  of  the  Ama- 
zons and  though  somewhat  broken  and  cracked  presents 
a  splendid  array  of  figures.  A  large  circular  fish  dish  of 
stone  too,  found  in  Liesa,  with  a  diameter  of  perhaps  four 
feet.  Among  the  full  statues  I  ought  to  emphasize  a  beau- 
tiful little  Iris  in  black  marble  (face,  arms,  and  nether 
limbs  white),  a  Mercury  as  orator,  and  a  Euterpe, with 
fragments  of  arms,  bodies,  and  heads,  that  recall  the  grace 
of  a  Venus  di  Milo,  and  an  Apollo  Belvedere.  Then  too, 
we  have  numerous  tablets  with  Latin  inscriptions  point- 
ing to  periods  of  Germanic  and  Gallic  invasion— relics 
of  a  soldier's  equipage  found  in  graves  in  Germany — urns 
that  contained  the  ashes  of  the  dead,some  like  boxes  with 


[96] 

close  fitting  covers,a  mummy  of  the  Sacred  Bull  of  Egypt 
with  his  trappings  (Apis), and  finally  some  collections  of 
Mexican  antiquities,  mainly  from  the  time  of  the  Az- 
tecs—small images,  crude  earthenware,  etc.,  of  which  I 
had  seen  enough  for  my  heart's  content  in  Washington. 

"AMBRASER  SAMMLUNG. 

"Here  in  seven  rooms  is  a  collection  of  arms  and  mili- 
tary costumes  and  thus  far  reminding  one  of  the  Dres- 
den historical  collections  though  in  most  respects  hardly 
its  equal,  and  also  specimens  of  artistic  work  in  all  de- 
partments, indeed  the  line  does  not  seem  to  be  closely 
drawn  anywhere,  and  I  have  not  found  out  what  the 
word  Ambraser  means. 

"The  first  rooms  contain  complete  coats  of  arms  as 
they  were  worn  by  almost  all  monarchs  and  generals 
from  the  time  of  the  founder  Duke  Ferdinand  of  Tyrol 
(i  595)  down  to  the  1 8th  and  present  centuries.  Many 
of  them  are  of  course  richly  ornamented  with  gold  and 
silver  and  precious  stones,  but  I  was  more  interested  in 
reading  the  names  that  were  appended  to  them  than  in 
examining  them  in  detail  —  Dresden  had  glutted  me  in 
that  respect;  a  fac-simile  of  Ferdinand's  attendant  eight 
feet  high  der  Grosse  Bauer  von  'Trent  is  given  you  and  one 
sees  that  even  churchmen,  archbishops,  and  cardinals 
laid  aside  the  crooked  staff  at  times  for  the  shirt  of  mail 
and  long  sword.  Even  the  arms  and  helmet  of  the  Grand 
Vizier  Kara  Mustopha,  who  paid  with  his  life  the  raising 
of  the  siege  of  Vienna  —  which  illustrates  the  policy  of 


.    '[97] 

the  Turkish  government  even  of  today.  Its  servants  are 
punished  or  rewarded  only  as  defeat  or  victory  result 
from  their  work.  There  is  no  other  question  to  be  con- 
sidered by  those  before  whom  their  deeds  are  judged. 
So  too  the  banner  and  arms  of  the  great  commander 
of  the  peasants,  Stephan  Fadinger,  in  their  wars  against 
the  nobles  and  their  institution, feudalism;  and  perhaps 
most  interesting  because  so  rare  in  these  parts,  the  battle 
axe  of  the  great  Osted  Montezuma,  —  Alexander  Far- 
nese,the  terrible  foe  of  the  Netherlanders,  stands  before 
you  just  as  he  did  before  his  bloody  Spaniards,  when  urg- 
ing them  on  to  their  butchery. 

"I  pass  over  the  arms  and  munitions  of  war  that  pre- 
sented no  features  not  already  commented  upon  in  these 
pages,  and  come  to  the  fourth  room  where  we  find  the 
four  walls  filled  with  portraits  not  only  of  the  House  of 
Hapsburg  and  all  its  ramifications  with  a  curious  main 
branch  and  trunks  but  also  all  the  mere  men  and  women 
of  the  1 5th  and  i6th  centuries,  141  small  pictures  in 
all  —  not  many  of  them  of  great  artistic  worth.  In  the 
center  of  the  room  in  three  large  glass  cases,  magnif- 
icent gold  embroideries  (Burgundian)  for  altar  orna- 
mentations, and  originally  intended  for  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Fleece.  The  figures  in  them  remind  one  of  the 
Van  Eyck  paintings;  one  cannot  more  highly  compli- 
ment the  quality  of  the  work  than  to  admit  that  they 
stand  out  in  all  their  minuteness  with  the  same  distinct- 
ness and  clearness  as  these  paintings  of  which  they  re- 
mind us. 


"We  now  move  into  a  quite  different  kind  of  exhibi- 
tion—and at  the  very  door,  little  as  I  expected  to  find 
them,  taxidermist  specimens  of  natural  history — also, 
and  one  of  the  most  interesting  objects  here,  the  antlers 
of  a  deer,  with  twenty-two  extremities  of  a  trunk  so  en- 
twined in  the  trunk  of  an  oak  as  to  leave  one  no  other 
conclusion  than  that  the  oak  had  grown  around  it! 

"We  found  too,  in  the  same  room,  fine  specimens  of 
coral,  masterpieces  of  minute  stone  and  wood  work,  as 
also  carvings  and  inlaid  ivory  work,  without  mention- 
ing the  two  different  specimens  that  exhibit  wonderful 
skill  —  the  three  specimens  of  Albert  Colin,  two  battle 
scenes  and  the  Rape  of  the  Sabines  are  of  too  surpass- 
ing excellence  to  be  passed  over  without  special  notice 
and  seem  to  indicate  that  in  the  middle  ages  the  knife 
and  chisel  were  handled  much  more  skilfully  than  the 
brush.  Fine  mosaics,  wax  and  horn  work,  with  good 
specimens  of  enameling,faience,and  glass  painting  make 
up  this  antiquarian  cabinet,  and  make  it  clear  enough 
that  from  1400  to  1900  something  else  than  fighting 
occupied  the  attention  of  the  world.  To  make  thisjack- 
of-all-trades  sort  of  room  complete,  we  have  even  a  small 
but  very  interesting  collection  of  musical,  mathematical, 
and  astronomical  instruments,  and  if  there  be  any  one 
who  does  not  find  something  here  to  appeal  to  his  sense 
of  pleasure,  we  may  fairly  conclude  that  it  is  not  in  his 
nature  to  be  pleased.  The  last  room  continues  the  ex- 
hibition of  arms  and  quaint  military  costumes,  drinking 
utensils  of  all  materials  from  an  ostrich  egg  to  a  ram's 


[99] 

horn,  and  finally  a  small  collection  of  pictures  in  which 
Veronese,  Rosa,  Cranach,and  Durer  figure  though  not 
at  their  best.  It  is  curious  to  notice  how  these  workers 
in  cloth,  wood,  stone,  porcelain,  etc.,  etc.,  occasionally 
take  as  models  the  more  important  paintings  of  their 
day,  and  a  source  of  constant  surprises  is  found  for  you 
in  there  being  confronted  with  old  friends  where  you 
do  not  expect  to  meet  them.  This  applies  to  steel  en- 
gravings as  well  and  I  am  constantly  devouring  the  show 
windows  in  the  hope  of  finding  copies  of  my  favorites 
in  Dresden  and  the  Belvedere. 

"The  so  called  Egyptian  collection  is  small,  and  so 
to  be  done  with  the  whole  Belvedere  I  finished  that  be- 
fore leaving.  It  consists  of  mummies  of  man  and  beast, 
numerous  small  idols  of  all  materials,  probably  used  by 
different  people  in  their  own  houses,  wooden  coffins, 
painted  and  covered  with  inscriptions,  stone  and  earth 
house  utensils,  and  that  is  about  all.  One  has  got  to  feel 
stronger  and  brighter  than  I  do  to  turn  over  each  little 
pot  in  every  direction  and  examine  closely  from  every 
side  and  I  did  not.  I  may  try  it  with  a  few  to  find  that  I 
am  not  overlooking  what  ought  most  to  be  seen  but  the 
examination  of  the  balance  is  generally  more  superficial. 
From  here  I  turned  homeward,  only  stopping  to  take  a 
schnitzel  and  some  sauerkraut  in  Wieden,  and  then  shel- 
tering myself  as  best  I  could  from  the  torrid  blinding 
sun  that  reigns  supreme  fourteen  hours  in  these  summer 
days  in  Vienna,  I  walked  through  Stadt  Park  with  all  the 
good  of  most  small  parks  and  little  more. 


"THE  OPERA. 

"  I  did  not  venture  out  again  until  evening  when  I  made 
my  first  pilgrimage  to  Vienna  theatres  in  the  shape  of  a 
visit  to  the  Opera  House  as  much  to  see  this  beautiful 
temple  that  promised  so  much  from  its  outside,  and  then 
too,  to  give  myself  a  chance  to  like  Tannhduser,  which 
in  1 872  in  the  Academy  of  Music  in  New  York  for  the 
first  and  only  time  I  heard  under  Franz  Abt's  direction 
and  badly  butchered  at  that.  Prices  are  very  high  here, 
almost  as  bad  as  our  star  performances  in  New  York 
opera  during  the  Lucca  and  Neilson  excitements  though 
I  went  way  up  into  the  third  gallery, paid  two  gulden  and 
saved  one  by  taking  the  second  instead  of  the  first  row. 
The  performance  was  to  commence  at  seven  and  I  was 
on  hand  a  full  hour  before  to  get  a  full  view  of  what  had 
most  attracted  me.  I  was  anything  but  disappointed, 
and  all  the  way  from  the  entrance  to  the  roof  found  the 
vestibule  a  flood  of  light  from  beautiful  marble  can- 
delabras,  rich  frescoes,  fine  statuary,  and  gold  and  mar- 
bles of  all  shades  everywhere.  No  royal  entrance  that 
I  have  yet  seen  bears  the  slightest  comparison  with  it; 
and  then  too  the  inside  of  the  theatre,  not  to  speak  of 
the  great  height  and  depth  of  it,  its  great  gilded  chan- 
delier spreads  such  a  blaze  of  light  over  the  whole  am- 
phitheatre of  gold  and  bright  colors  to  which  the  audi- 
ence adds  variety,  making  so  beautiful  an  ensemble  that 
one  scarcely  wishes  to  break  the  spell  by  examining  the 
details,  and  indeed  I  did  not  until  the  first  entr'  acte. 
There  are  three  rows  of  boxes  in  addition  to  the  pros- 


[101] 

cenium,aparquet,parterre,and  two  galleries, a  large  en- 
closure for  the  orchestra,  and  an  enormous  stage.  The 
boxes  bear  upon  their  front  medallions  pictures  of  those 
who  in  the  last  one  hundred  years  have  distinguished 
themselves  in  the  Viennese  opera.  The  main  curtain  rep- 
resents the  Orpheus  myth  and  is  very  rich,  so  also  the 
drop  curtains,  which  are  in  the  nature  of  two  parallel 
curtains,  the  first  one  so  folded  back  as  at  all  times  to 
make  it  easy  for  artists  to  answer  recalls.  The  ceiling  is 
prettily  frescoed  with  suggestions  from  mythology  and 
everything  is  in  keeping  with  the  pretentiousness  of  the 
outside. 

"Unfortunately  the  troupe  was  not  represented  at  its 
best  tonight  (generally  about  the  first  of  May  the  lead- 
ing lights  commence  to  star)  and  neither  Marie  Wilt  nor 
the  famous  Beck  were  here.  However  as  partial  com- 
pensation,Capell  Meister  Richter,who  had  been  direct- 
ing the  Wagner  concerts  in  London  with  such  ^:/<z/,had 
just  returned  and  with  his  splendid  orchestra  of  over 
seventy  men  proved  to  me  the  greatest  attraction  of  the 
evening. 

"  Tannhduser  offers  an  excellent  opportunity  for  fine 
scenic  display,  the  stage  here  is  large  enough  certainly 
and  in  this  respect  it  must  be  admitted  that  full  justice 
was  done  the  composer,  and  I  allow  that  improvement 
in  this  respect  alone  may  have  been  the  means  of  radi- 
cally changing  my  opinion  of  the  opera.  However,  in 
this  regard  it  will  not  do  to  overlook  the  fine  Tannhduser 
that  Herr  Lobatt  gave  us,  the  gem  of  the  evening,  with 


[    102    ] 

a  good  voice,  clear,  full,  and  of  large  range,  a  graceful 
bearing  and  conscientious  acting.  Here  Scaria's  Land- 
graf  was  also  very  fair  and  while  Miles.  Kupfer  and  Dill- 
ner  did  not  spoil  Elizabeth  and  Venus,  one  can  hardly 
say  more  for  them,  and  Herr  Alschy  certainly  did  not 
sing  Wolfram  in  a  way  to  do  so  fine  a  role  justice.  It  is 
a  grand  opera  no  doubt  and  if  I  am  not  prepared  to  say 
that  I  like  it  as  well  as  I  do  Lohengrin  and  Rienzi,  I  feel 
certain  that  it  is  one  of  those  compositions  that  grow 
upon  one  with  each  hearing  and  that  another  such  ren- 
dition even  as  this  was,  for  it  was  very  smooth  through- 
out, would  make  me  not  only  admire  but  love  it.  Rich- 
ter  and  Lobatt  divided  the  honors  of  the  evening.  I  was 
a  little  shocked  to  notice  that  in  the  galleries  refresh- 
ments were  allowed  to  be  sold  in  the  entr  actes,  even 
though  they  were  delicatessen,  but  I  suppose  with  the 
ever-hungry  stomachs  of  the  beer-drinking  people  it  is 
the  only  way  of  keeping  out  lunch  baskets,  which  cer- 
tainly would  be  a  still  greater  nuisance. 

"  The  performance  had  lasted  three  and  one-half  hours, 
and  by  the  time  I  got  home  through  the  blinding  storm 
of  dust  that  was  howling  through  the  streets  and  of  course 
most  troublesome  in  the  broad  Ring,  it  was  11:15.  Haus- 
meister  closes  the  door  at  ten,  and  every  time  he  opens 
you  must  pay  him  at  least  ten  kr.  and  may  as  much  as 
you  please.  Everybody  who  is  open  to  a  trtn&ge/dhere  — 
and  there  are  mighty  few  exceptions  —  refuses  of  course 
to  recognize  a  maximum.  My  landlady  (a  Frdulein  I 
have  since  found  out)  was  waiting  for  me. 


I03 

"KUNSTAND  INDUSTRIE  MUSEUM. 

"Saturday, June  2/77.  I  commenced  today  by  going 
to  the  temple  in  Leopoldstadt,  and  while  I  was  disap- 
pointed in  not  finding  Jellinek  and  Sulzer,  who,  I  have 
since  learned,  officiate  in  the  old  synagogue  in  the  city, 
I  was  much  interested  in  the  orthodox  sermon  and  ser- 
vice. The  inner  part  of  the  temple  hardly  equals  what 
the  outside  leads  one  to  expecl:,  but  is  very  pretty  for  all 
that.  The  ladies  are  confined  to  two  galleries,  the  choir 
is  made  up  of  little  boys  who  sing  well  though  without 
organ  and  stand  right  alongside  of  the  altar.  The  congre- 
gation looked  very  unaristocratic  and  hardly  possessed  of 
sufficient  means  to  build  so  fine  a  temple,  and  the  min- 
ister, a  young  man  with  a  good  deal  of  strength,  urged 
orthodoxy  as  a  necessary  means  to  continue  the  individu- 
ality of  the  Jews,  and  sneered  at  that  class  of  men  who 
without  everentering  a  synagogue  or  being  familiar  with 
the  arguments  of  believers  would  by  a  single  stroke  over- 
throw the  work  of  a  Moses,  Samuel,  or  Micah.  By  ten 
the  first  of  the  three  Saturday  services  was  over  and  I 
went  from  here  to  the  Kunst  and  Industrie  Museum  on 
the  Stuben  Ring  just  over  the  Aspern  Brucke  and  spent 
the  balance  of  the  morning  in  examining  its  vestibule 
and  several  rooms.  It  is  a  magnificent  structure  through- 
out, completed  but  three  or  four  years  ago,  the  first  of 
the  great  collection  of  public  buildings  that  is  mak- 
ing the  Ring  so  exceptionally  fine  a  street  when  that  is 
completed.  It  is  arranged  on  the  plan  of  the  South  Ken- 
sington Museum,  a  large  square  vestibule  lighted  by  sky- 


I04] 

light,  whose  exits  lead  into  rectangular  chambers  that 
contain  the  specimens.  It  is  a  sort  of  exposition  on  a 
small  scale  and  really  the  importance  of  this  museum 
dates  from  the  International  Exposition  of  1 872,  when 
gifts  were  often  left  by  exhibitors  and  formed  the  nucleus 
of  the  colleclion.Then  too  it  is  permitted  business  houses 
to  expose  their  wares  here  for  sale,  and  being  a  good 
advertising  medium  certain  rooms  almost  lead  you  to 
imagine  that  instead  of  being  in  a  museum  you  are  prom- 
enading the  Graben,  Kornthner  Gasse,  or  Rotherthurm.  I 
commenced  with  the  lower  floor  (there  are  two)  of  the 
vestibule,  where,among  plaster  casts  of  prominent  sculp- 
tures of  antiquities  and  the  middle  ages  (directors  of 
museums  I  notice,  seem  pretty  well  agreed  as  to  which 
are  the  finest),  there  are  also  two  fine  originals  of  Ca- 
nova :  a  Venus  kneeling  and  a  Venus  leaving  the  bath ; 
a  Guardian  Angel  with  Child,  and  a  Psyche  by  Tene- 
rani,  and  a  very  pretty  Judicitia  by  Fenerstein.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  casts  also  some  bas-relief  excavations  from 
Samothrace  by  an  expedition  sent  there  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  government. 

"Room  I.  Here  we  find  numerous  specimens  of  gold- 
smiths' work  of  the  1 7th  century  with  many  modern 
imitations  of  ancient  celebrities  in  galvanoplastic  (Bar- 
bedienne  among  the  Frenchmen  and  Ilkington  among 
the  English  seem  to  give  us  the  best  work)  .Then  we  have 
specimens  of  old  and  new  Russian,  Indian,  Malayan,  Per- 
sian,Turkish,  and  Chinese  arms  and  war  costumes,  many 
of  them  richly  ornamented,  ancient  church  relics,  ceram- 


ics,  and  enamel  work  (with  Chinese  and  Japanese  speci- 
mens) and  here  as  well  as  in  the  other  chambers  and  ex- 
hibitions in  Vienna,  I  got  the  notion  that  it  would  be 
much  more  instructive,  and  less  trying  to  the  patience 
of  visitors  if  lines  between  different  exhibitions  were 
more  closely  borne ;  as  it  is,  it  looks  as  if  out  of  each 
mass  of  articles  some  were  given  to  every  art  or  scien- 
tific collection  in  Vienna,  and  therefore  with  occasional 
modifications  and  exceptions  my  descriptions  must  read 
much  alike,  and  knowing  that  in  advance  as  I  do,  very 
general.  They  have  here  also  the  treasures  of  the  Ger- 
man Order,  with  a  little  of  all  of  these,  a  collection  of 
relics  taken  from  the  treasures  of  the  Guelphs,who  had 
their  seat  in  Braunschweig  and  Sachsen  and  Hannover 
as  well  as  northern  Italy  — which  belongs  to  the  poor 
wandering  King  of  Hannover — and  also  work  in  silver 
and  precious  stones,  and  similar  imitations  as  in  the  case 
of  the  gold.  So  too  a  few  specimens  of  Limoges  and 
Venetian  enamel. 

"Room  I  I.The  next  room  reminds  one  of  the  European 
rooms  of  the  Saxon  Porcelain  collection  though  only  in 
a  small  way,  and  traces  the  growth  of  our  splendid  por- 
celain work  of  today  from  the  ancient  stone  and  earth 
work  that  we  find  among  the  Egyptians.  We  find  here  the 
Grecian  terra-cotta  busts  and  vases,  the  Italian  majolica 
and  the  faience  of  the  middle  ages,  gradually  develop- 
ing into  Bottscher's  porcelain  which  finds  its  climax  in 
the  Meissner  and  Sevres  manufactures.  Then  too  we 
have  the  beautiful  Biscuit- Ar better,  so  called  because  it 


is  twice  burned,  by  which  it  loses  all  glossy  color  and 
bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  marble.  The  only  im- 
provement on  the  Saxon  collection  is  the  Austrian  work 
which  appears  to  much  better  advantage  in  the  speci- 
men from  the  Vienna  factory,  which  until  recently  pro- 
duced some  really  good  pieces. 

"The  collection  of  work  is  very  extensive  beginning 
with  old  Mexican  and  Oriental  work  showing  us  also 
Sicilian  and  Moorish  manufacture  (the  so  called  Persian 
faience  from  the  isle  of  Rhodes)  and  then  specimens  of 
modern  common  work  from  all  nations  from  the  Moors 
to  the  Egyptians.  Then  two  specimens  of  faience  from 
all  times  and  peoples  and  the  modern  ironstone  work. 
Extremely  pretty  is  the  English  Wedgwood  work  and 
this  suggests  how  wonderfully  skilful  the  present  gen- 
eration is  in  counterfeiting  so  that  often  I  can  hardly  tell 
glass  from  porcelain,  the  latter  from  marble,  wood  from 
glass  and  Heaven  knows  what  not  from  what  not. 

"Room  No.  Ill  maybe  called  the  glass-room  as  with 
a  few  exceptions  it  contains  only  glasswork  dating  from 
the  1 6th  and  1 7th  centuries  to  manufactures  of  the  last 
few  years  and  giving  us  some  of  the  beautiful  specimens 
of  Bohemian  glasswork  for  which  the  blowers  from 
that  region  are  universally  famous.  In  addition  to  Ori- 
ental work  and  very  fine  specimens  of  Venetian  glass, 
there  is  an  interesting  collection  of  glass-mosaics  and  of 
fragments  employed  in  the  work  of  all  shades,  opaque 
as  well  as  transparent,  and  finally  some  of  the  pretty  iri- 
descent glass  which  has  acquired  all  the  tints  of  the  rain- 


I07 

bow  and  which  as  I  afterward  discovered  is  very  hap- 
pily used  by  modern  works  for  ornamental  purposes.  As 
an  indication  of  the  high  degree  of  beauty  to  which  the 
working  in  glass  has  been  brought,  we  are  given  here 
a  complete  set  (pitcher,  salver,  and  goblet)  made  in  the 
last  few  years,  with  fine  crystal  work  and  beautiful  fig- 
ures and  the  inscription  Rein  derCrystall^fein  das  Met  all, 
echt  der  Wein,  so  soil  es  sein  —  it  is  called  the  Willkommen 
glass  and  is  a  gift  from  the  city  to  the  museum. 

"RoomNo.IVcontainsfine  specimens  of  Oriental  fur- 
niture and  rich  tapestries.  All  sorts  of  wonderful  wea v- 
ings,embroideries,and  similar  handiwork.  Large,  highly 
ornamented  stoves  of  all  materials  from  stone  to  porce- 
lain. Richly  carved  cabinets  and  more  of  these  ingen- 
ious woodworkings,  and  particularly  two  very  large  life- 
size  scenes:  Virginia  and  Volumnia  Interceding  with 
Coriolanus,and  the  Sabine  Women  Interfering  between 
their  Fathers  and  the  Romans.  A  sort  of  wooden  mosaic 
by  Roentgen  ( 1 779).  Among  the  Gobelins — two  large 
battle  scenes  from  the  wars  of  Alexander  Granicus  and 
the  defeat  of  the  Indians.  Among  the  wood  cuttings 
many  high  intricately  cut  altars. 

"Too  tired  to  do  more  good  work  I  left  the  rooms, 
went  upstairs,  where  the  walls  and  balustrades  are  deco- 
rated with  fine  colored  marbles  and  a  large  slab  indi- 
cates the  spot  where  the  Emperor  laid  the  cornerstone. 
Here  too  are  casts  of  prominent  sculptures,  naturally 
some  of  Michael  Angelo  in  Florence  and  Rome.  On 
this  floor  also  are  the  library  of  the  museum,  directors' 


[io8] 

rooms,  and  then  a  very  fine  room  that  is  called  the  Sitz- 
ungs  Saal  where  around  a  large  table  are  placed  richly 
upholstered  chairs.  Why  it  is  so  called  I  do  not  know  for 
in  addition  to  these  is  an  exhibition  of  modern  furni- 
ture in  the  highest  style  of  ornamentation  and  includ- 
ing the  finest  mirrors,  chandeliers,  secretaries,pianos,etc. 
Also  rich  rugs  and  carpets  (English  made  in  Persian  style) 
and  a  beautiful  glass  painting  by  Lorin  a  Chartres,  a  Visi- 
tation of  Mary  after  Da  Piombo's  beautiful  painting, 
transparent  colors  and  a  real  masterpiece  of  glass  burn- 
ing. I  reserved  the  other  four  or  five  rooms  for  another 
occasion,  and  having  hung  around  the  elegant  halls  for 
awhile  returned  home  to  give  my  eyes  the  rest  they  so 
much  needed. 

"Sunday,  June  3,  1877.  Without  bothering  myself 
about  the  second  procession  in  honor  of  the  Fro/in  Leich- 
manns  Tag  that  was  marching  almost  in  front  of  my  door 
and  whose  course  was  traced  by  the  green  leaves  that 
were  strewn  through  the  streets,  I  passed  on  to  the  mu- 
seum again  to  spend  an  hour  or  two  there  before  the 
beginning  of  service  in  the  Augustiner  Kirche  which  I 
wished  to  attend. 

"I  began  where  I  left  ofFat  Room  No. V, which  con- 
tains workings  (principally  of  the  last  few  years)  in  lead, 
tin,iron,brass,and  copper,and  not  stopping  at  the  simply 
utilitarian  objects  with  whose  manufacture  we  are  ac- 
customed to  associate  the  use  of  the  non-noble  metals, 
we  find  here  statues,reliefs,  and  highly  ornamental  work 
of  all  sorts  in  the  best  artistic  form  and  often  imitating 


[iog] 

in  the  most  skilful  way  production  of  gold  and  silver- 
smiths. Particularly  in  the  galvanoplastic  specimens, 
which  of  course  are  made  by  electricity  (electrotypes) . 

"  Room  No.  VI  is  a  collection  of  showcases  with  the 
best  specimens  that  one  finds  in  jewelry,  porcelain,  ga- 
lanterie,embroidery,lace,etc.,  stores  of  the  day,and  while 
representing  as  it  does  the  culmination  of  all  art  indus- 
tries in  the  present  generation,  I  may  be  justified  in  say- 
ing therefore,  interesting  though  it  was  for  me,  I  need 
not  enlarge  upon  what  can  be  seen  every  day  in  the  streets 
of  every  city.  Some  wonderfully  clever  chromo  and  wood- 
work is  particularly  noteworthy,  and  they  have  an  asso- 
ciation in  Vienna  for  the  special  purpose  of  reproducing 
artistic  models  in  cheap  form  to  be  accessible  to  all  and 
this  includes  paintings,drawings,crayons, sculptures,  etc. 

"Room  No.  VIII  contains  a  great  many  specimens 
(some  of  them  very  rich  and  beautiful)  of  book  covers 
of  the  1 6th  to  i8th  centuries,  as  also  interiors  indicat- 
ing the  styles  of  illumination  of  the  early  publications. 
Then  leather  work  generally  including  some  beautiful 
specimens  of  Oriental  work.  The  pretty  Chinese  paint- 
ing on  rice  paper  with  which  we  are  pretty  familiar,some 
extremely  clever  Persian  reliefs  on  paper  made  with  the 
nails,  simply  good  illustrations  of  Indian  mosaic  work 
and  enameling,  and  then  several  cases  of  small  types  of 
Oriental  and  Mexican  life  and  people,  made  in  those 
countries.  Pretty  straw  and  basket  work  from  Austrian 
countries,  and  a  numerous  collection  of  seals,  /.  e.  Ger- 
man Order  and  House  of  Hapsburg.  Among  other  ex- 


[no] 

hibits  of  special  historic  interest,  a  mosaic  from  Car- 
thage. 

"I  had  still  two  more  rooms  to  examine,  but  I  was 
anxious  to  get  to  the  HofpfarrKirche  by  eleven,  and  so 
left  off  here. 

"SIGHTSEEING. 

"  I  passed  the  large  Coburg  Palace  on  the  way,  ten  times 
as  high  as  the  street  on  which  it  is  situated  is  wide,  and 
also  walked  through  the  beautiful  Karnthner  Hof,  enli- 
vened by  its  skylight  frescoes  and  bright  colors  and  ar- 
rived in  good  season  at  the  over  half-millenium  old  Court 
Chapel  to  hear  the  mass  sung  by  the  famous  choir  which 
at  least  today  was  supported  by  orchestra.  Of  course,  be- 
ing connected  with  the  Burg,  the  Chapel  is  at  least  as 
pretty  as  every  other  in  Vienna  and  that  means  very  beau- 
tiful (the  Church  is  the  only  institution  in  Austria  that 
can  not  complain  of  hard  times)— and  principally  its 
high  Gothic  altar  deserves  mention  for  elegance.  Op- 
posite the  entrance  is  the  famous  mausoleum  erected 
by  the  Duke  of  Sachsen-Teschen  (Prince  of  Poland) 
to  his  much  loved  wife  the  Archduchess,  Maria  Chris- 
tina, daughter  of  the  unsterbltchen  Maria  Theresa,  and  for 
which  Canova  was  paid  20,000  ducats  — or  50,000  dol- 
lars gold.  The  entrance  to  the  tomb  is  a  large  triangu- 
lar marble  piece  on  whose  steps  are  three  groups  —  the 
one  a  female  figure  of  Virtue,  with  child  in  each  hand, 
coming  to  mourn  at  the  tomb.  Just  behind  them  lower 
down  on  the  steps,  Charity  leading  a  blind  man  and  or- 


[Ill] 

phan  child  also  to  pay  tribute,  and  on  the  other  side  the 
Angel  of  Fame,  reclining  against  a  sleeping  lion— these 
groups  to  represent  her  four  main  attributes :  charity, 
virtue,  strength,  and  fame,  and  the  whole  is  well  worthy 
of  the  master's  reputation.  It  was  eredted  in  1805,  and 
is  one  of  the  relatively  numerous  works  of  Canova's  about 
Vienna.  His  Theseus  and  Minotaurs  in  the  Volks  Garten 
I  have  not  yet  found.  This  is  the  group  which  Napoleon 
I  had  intended  for  Milan.  The  vaults  in  the  church  also 
contain  the  bones  of  Leopold  II  (1792)  who  died  but 
two  years  after  ascending  the  throne,  and  through  the 
bars  one  sees  the  memorial  built  in  marble  by  Zauner, 
the  Emperor  lying  on  a  sarcophagus  by  whose  side  re- 
clines a  figure  of  Religion  (?)  mourning.  Maria's  general 
and  her  physician — VonDaunandVanSwieten — are  also 
buried  here.  The  mass  was  a  beauty  and  well  given,  par- 
ticularly the  violin  solo  and  obligato  in  one  of  the  move- 
ments and  I  had  seen  and  heard  enough  to  amply  repay 
the  walk  in  the  hot  sun  and  dust  (for  both  of  which  my 
experience  makes  Vienna  famous).  I  did  not  venture 
out  again  after  returning  until  evening  when  I  strolled 
through  the  Ring,  Hof&Burg  Garten  which  being  more 
select  in  its  promenaders  and  less  crowded,  I  prefer  to 
the  Prater.  In  wandering  about  I  came  upon  the  Hohe 
Markf,the  center  of  the  old  Roman  townVindobona, 
whose  Praetor  is  said  to  have  lived  in  the  palace  of  the 
Baron  of  Sina,  the  oldest  house  in  Vienna.  In  the  cen- 
ter of  the  square  a  Votive-Statue,  representing  Mary's 
engagement,  under  a  Corinthian  temple,  built  in  the 


[112] 

reign  of  Charles  VI  after  von  Erlach's  plans  —  much 
more  curious  than  pretty- and  the  superstructure  much 
more  attractive  than  the  triple  group  of  figures  under  it. 
Home  before  dark  and  not  A'ida,  with  Wilt  and  Beck 
at  the  Opera  House,  our  fellow-country-lady  and  gym- 
nast at  the  Carl  Theatre  in  Verne  and  Suppe's  Courier  des 
Czaren,  nor  Hof-Burg,  Stadt,  nor  Furst  Theatre  could 
draw  me  out  again. 

"  Monday,  June  4/77.  My  day's  work  commences  with 
a  visit  to  the  Albertina.  The  Albertina  is  a  collection  of 
original  drawings,steel  engravings,maps,and  books  com- 
menced by  the  Duke  of  Sachsen-Teschen  and  continued 
by  the  Archduke  Charles,and  is  exhibited  in  the  Albrecht 
Palace.  It  is  particularlystrong  in  original  drawings,con- 
taining  specimens  of  all  painters  almost,and  a  great  many 
of  Raphael,  Durer,  and  Rubens,  the  more  important  of 
which  are  exposed  to  view  in  glass  cases  and  are  very  in- 
teresting especially  where  they  illustrate  the  preparatory 
work  on  paintings  which  have  afterwards  grown  famous. 

"I  was  also  much  interested  in  the  steel  engravings 
here;  there  are  some  two  hundred  thousand  in  all,  most 
of  which  however  are  bound  in  volumes,  large  folios — 
and  I  contented  myself  with  those  that  were  exposed  on 
the  walls  as  they  were  sufficient  to  tire  my  eyes.  I  exam- 
ined with  considerable  care  copies  of  paintings  that  I  am 
not  likely  to  see,  and  among  other  results  that  followed 
was  a  determination  to  suspend  judgment  on  Correggio, 
some  of  these  copies  giving  a  foretaste  of  his  paintings 
that  would  justify  the  reputation  he  has,  better  than  any- 


["3] 

thing  I  have  yet  seen.  Raphael  and  Michael  Angelo  I  saw 
were  almost  untasted  as  yet,  Murillo  and  Da  Vinci  ditto, 
and  that  much  enthusiasm  as  I  have  spent  over  Veronese, 
Titian,  Rubens,  Van  Dyck,  Rembrandt,  etc.,  they  were 
very  far  from  being  exhausted,  and  their  fertile  brains 
and  busy  hands  seem  to  have  rilled  all  markets  with  their 
masterpieces.  After  resting  at  home  during  the  warmer 
part  of  the  day,  I  took  a  walk  in  the  Ring-Garten  tin  this 
precincl:,  only  to  satisfy  myself  that  I  would  have  missed 
nothing  by  staying  away,  made  the  round  of  it  in  about 
half  an  hour,and  then  just  to  stay  out  of  myroom, smoked 
a  cigar  in  the  Prater,  and  went  home  to  rest  myself  for 
an  examination  of  the  Schatz-Kammer  tomorrow  for 
which  the  Kanzler  has  already  issued  a  ticket  to  me. 

"Tuesday,  June  5/77.  My  card  of  admission  to  the 
Kammerwzs  limited  today,  and  therefore  I  was  early  on 
hand  to  make  the  best  use  of  the  three  hours  during 
which  it  was  accessible.  It  required  but  one  to  finish  it 
and  that  is  evidence  enough  that  it  is  not  equal  to  the 
Saxon  Royal  treasure.  Perhaps  the  difference  is  to  be 
traced  to  a  more  general  distribution  of  the  *  Hapsburg 
Lothringen  private  treasures'  but  whatever  the  cause 
there  is  no  doubt  that  except  in  certain  historical  speci- 
mens and  precious  stones,  the  Schatz-Kammer  does  not 
stand  out  in  the  same  bold  contrast  to  other  collections 
here  that  the  Grunes  Gewolbe  does  to  the  Saxon. 

"A  large  crowd  was  waiting  in  front  of  the  door  for  the 
opening  hour,  and  with  it  at  ten  I  pushed  through  and 
passed  the  tall  guards  that  carefully  guard  these  millions. 


["4] 

"The  first  room  contains  richly  worked  flags  and  other 
heraldic  insignia,  pointing  to  different  periods  of  Haps- 
burg  rule  and  the  many  once  independent  little  govern- 
ments that  make  up  the  extensive  title  of  his  Apostolic 
Majesty.  Two  finely  chased  silver  caskets  presented  to 
him  by  the  Hungarian  delegation  at  the  time  of  his  cor- 
onation as  king  in  1 867,  and  an  ebony  box  in  which  the 
key  to  the  imperial  vault  is  found,  are  also  here. 

"In  the  next  room  are  specimens  of  clocks  from  the 
earliest  date  to  the  present,  noteworthy  not  only  because 
of  their  mechanical  ingenuity  but  for  fine  gold  and  silver 
work  and  tasteful  ornamentation  as  well.  Most  inter- 
esting among  them,  the  first  clock  in  which  the  pendu- 
lum was  used  made  about  1 600  by  Burgi.  Then  also  work 
of  all  sorts  in  burg-krystall%&&  smoked  topaz,  often  dec- 
orated with  fine  gems. The  room  with  the  gold  and  silver 
work  is  not  so  extensive  as  it  is  select,  and  some  salvers 
in  finely  chased  gold  and  silver  work  (the  best  from 
Niirnberg  and  Augsburg)  and  set  off  with  inlaid  Ori- 
ental pearls  and  mother  of  pearl  are  models  of  beauty. 
Then  too  we  have  goblets  and  pitchers  out  of  single 
pieces  of  lapis  lazuli  and  other  precious  stones  (agate  is 
quite  common)  and  good  enamel  work.  The  famous  salt 
cellar  that  Benvenuto  Cellini  made  for  Francis  I,  per- 
haps twelve  inches  by  six  —  a  figure  of  Neptune  and  a 
nymph,  the  former  with  trident  pointing  to  a  ship  (the 
cellar  proper)  is  here,  and  the  first  clear  indication  of  the 
sculptor's  greatness  that  I  have  met. 

"The  main  pecuniary  worth  of  the  Kammer  is  con-. 


["5] 

tained  in  a  small  case,  which  is  alive  with  light  from  a 
heap  of  precious  stones  coming  from  ornaments,  orders, 
crowns,etc.,and  includes  among  many  wonderful  things 
the  great  Florentine  diamond,  133/4  carats,  fully  an  inch 
in  diameter  with  yellowish  tint,  supposed  to  have  been 
the  property  of  Charles  the  Bold  of  Burgundy,  lost  by 
him  at  the  battle  of  Murten,  and  sold  by  a  peasant  who 
found  it  to  a  Bernese  merchant  for  a  gulden.  In  the  midst 
of  an  Order  of  the  Golden  Fleece  with  150  diamonds 
that  make  up  the  necklace  with  which  the  order  is  gen- 
erally worn  is  the  Frankfurter  solitaire,  and  one  some- 
what smaller,  the  former  also  a  matter  of  forty-three 
carats.  A  26-carat  diamond,  most  wonderful  because 
of  its  ruby-red  color,  in  an  order  of  the  grand  cross  of 
Maria  Theresa  with  548  diamonds.  The  crown  insignia 
of  Rudolph  II  and  the  crown  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth, 
as  beautiful  and  rich  as  one  may  expect  to  find  them  in 
such  surroundings.  In  the  same  room,  the  paraphernalia 
(dress  pitcher,  basin,  etc.)  used  for  imperial  bathrooms 
and  also  the  coronation  and  oath  swords. 

"The  historical  chamber  though  small  too,  has  many 
a  valuable  relic  among  which  should  be  mentioned  first, 
I  suppose,  as  becomes  a  good  Christian,  what  purports 
to  be  a  piece  of  the  Holy  Cross  and  Tablecloth,  a  tooth 
of  St.  John  guarded  more  carefully  than  aught  else  in 
the  collection;  of  a  less  religious  character,  all  the  para- 
phernalia of  Charlemagne  at  his  coronation,  down  to 
his  shoes  and  shirt  and  gloves.  The  imperial  insignia, 
including  the  Reichsapfel  and  the  Bible  on  which  the 


[n6] 

German  Emperor  at  Aix  took  the  oath  —  a  Horoscope 
ofWallenstein  and  a  snuff-box  ofTaunitz'with  enam- 
eled heads  of  Francis  and  Maria  on  the  the  cover,  sword 
of  St.  Mauretius  and  Haroun  al  Raschid,  and  what  was 
of  great  interest  to  me,  for  I  have  not  yet  outgrown  the 
charm  that  the  name  of  Napoleon  has  always  had  for  me, 
the  magnificent  cradle  of  his  son  (the  Duke  of  Reich- 
stadt  and  King  of  Rome)  and  also  the  coronation  robes 
and  insignia  of  the  Emperor  himself  as  Red'  Italia.  The 
cradle's  massiveness  is  best  told  by  its  weight,  500  pounds. 
More  weight  than  the  ill-fated  child  ever  had  in  the  des- 
tinies of  nations.  This  makes  up  all  of  the  Schatz-Ka?n- 
mer,  whose  jewels  alone,  of  course,  are  of  inestimable 
value  but  which  neither  is  so  rich  nor  covers  so  wide  a 
field  as  its  correlative  in  Dresden." 


CHAPTER  VI 
Munich 

June  23/77. 1  left  Innspruch  this  morn- 
ing  at  7: 1 5  just  as  I  had  entered  it— in  a  rain  storm, 
and  all  the  way  to  Munich  had  a  chance  to  con- 
tent  myself  with  mist  instead  of  mountains,  in 
which  they  were  completely  enveloped.  On  reaching 
the  border,  one  exchanges  the  red,  white,  black,  and 
yellow  for  the  blue  and  white,  the  gulden  for  the  mark, 
and  receives  the  substantial  Deutschland  in  place  of  the 
Tyrol  that  is  a  little  of  everything  and  not  much  of  any- 
thing. Here,  too,  we  made  the  first  of  the  many  changes 
of  cars  that  seem  to  distinguish  traveling  on  Bavarian 
railways  and  had  to  submit  our  baggage  to  the  inspection 
of  custom-house  officials,  who  were,  however,  very  le- 
nient. At  ten  we  left  here  on  the  royal  Bavarian  State 
trains,  and  through  the  Hochgebirge  passed  on  to  Rosen- 
heim,  where  the  hills  make  only  a  very  indistinct  back- 
ground in  the  distance  and  we  have  the  cedar  forests 
instead, which  is  followed  by  the  Teufels  Graben\  viz., 
a  hill  on  one  side  of  the  road  and  a  chasm  on  the  other, 
and  so  with  at  least  good  speed  we  push  on,  strike  the 
Isar  at  last,  and  Munich,  the  birthplace  of  *  our  ances- 
tors,' loomed  up  before  us — and  by  2  P.M.  we  are  in  the 
stately  depot  that  faces  the  streets  running  to  the  Carls 
P/afz. 
"  It  was  like  attaining  the  height  of  my  ambition  to 


[n8] 

find  myself  in  this  modern  Athens,  and  yet  this  after- 
noon the  holy  feeling  that  seemed  to  pervade  the  air 
came  rather  from  the  idea  that  these  very  streets  had 
been  trodden  by  my  father  and  mother  in  the  days  of 
their  youth,  and  I  was  but  a  faithful  and  respectful  wor- 
shiper coming  to  render  homage  at  my  Mecca.  Very 
sincerely  I  wished  father  at  my  side  at  this  moment.  I 
should  have  found  intense  joy  in  the  delight  he  must 
have  shown  to  see  once  again  the  place  of  his  birth  and 
education,  and  if  he  comes  to  Europe  at  all,  I  shall  man- 
age to  be  at  his  side  when  he  enters  Munich.  It  is  very 
clear  that  except  in  the  interior  portions  of  the  city,  with 
the  Marten  Platz  as  a  center,  he  would  hardly  recognize 
the  Munich  he  knew,  for  all  around  this  square,  in  great 
broad  streets  and  squares  upon  squares  of  splendid  build- 
ings, the  city  shows  the  work  of  the  years  spent  by  him 
in  America,  and,  with  but  few  exceptions,  what  makes 
Munich  most  attractive  to  the  stranger  and  what  gives 
it  its  individuality,  has  had  its  birth  since  his  departure 
from  it. 

"Unfavorable  as  the  weather  is,  I  could  not  restrain 
my  eagerness  to  get  a  glimpse  of  this  country  so  dear  to 
me  and  therefore  started  off  at  once  to  get  a  bird's-eye 
view,  and  for  two  days  contented  myself  with  that  alone, 
merely  lolling  about  the  streets,  admiring  the  palaces  of 
art  that  Ludwig  and  Max  have  erected  here,  and  noth- 
ing more.The  old  Rathhaus  (Town  Hall), and  the  beau- 
tiful new  one  in  purest  Gothic  style,  whose  bright  white 
and  red,  unmistakably  showing  its  youth,  yet  make  you 


["9] 

feel  as  if  you  were  living  in  the  1 4th  century  ,whose  styles 
it  imitates  to  perfection.  From  here  I  wind  through  a 
little  street,  where  stands  the  house  whose  inscription 
tells  you  that  its  corner  room,  second  floor,  is  the  place 
where  Mozart  finished  his  Idomeneus,  which  leads  into 
the  Hofgraben  (court  moat)  and  Max  Joseph  P/atz,with 
the  Hoftheatre,  the  old  Tarringische  Palace  now  remod- 
eled in  the  Arcade  style  so  popular  in  Munich,  and  op- 
posite it  the  Neue  Residenz,  a  stately  looking  building 
which  is  the  front  for  an  enormous  complex  of  build- 
ings at  one  time  or  another  Residenzen  and  forming  large 
Hofs.  In  the  center  of  the  square,  a  fine  monument  of 
the  first  Max  Joseph  (1825)  facing  the  Thtatines  Church, 
and  erected  by  the  people  in  celebration  of  the  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  of  his  throne  ascension,  after  a  model 
by  Rauch  —  which  is  sufficient  guaranty  for  its  beauty. 
From  this  square  run  the  Ludwigand  Maximilian  Stras- 
j?«,that  contain  the  strong  points  of  Munich's  greatness, 
almost  exclusively  built  by  the  monarchs  after  whom 
they  are  named  and  specially  favored  by  them. 

"  I  chose  the  Ludwig  Street  as  my  egress,  with  the  Alte 
Residenz  on  one  side  and  the  Feldherrn  (Hall  of  the  Mar- 
shals) on  the  other,whose  balcony  is  as  yet  crowned  with 
statues  of  Tilly  and  Wrede  only,  the  work  of  Sch wan- 
thaler,  that  indefatigable  genius,  who  with  Gartner  and 
Klenze,the  architecT:s,Cornelius  and  Kaulbach,thepaint- 
ers,  seems  to  have  made  up  the  nucleus  of  that  group  that 
Ludwig  was  wise  enough  to  employ  to  make  Munich 
what  it  is,  a  Pantheon  of  arts.  The  loggia  faces  the  Odeon 


Platz,  only  an  enlargement  of  the  street,  in  whose  cen- 
ter is  the  beautiful  Ludwig  monument,  the  monarch  in 
royal  robes,  supported  by  two  pages;  below  are  figures 
of  Poetry,  Art,  Industry,and  Religion  — a  model  by  Wid- 
man,  whom  its  great  beauty  is  entitled  to  lift  out  of  the 
darkness  that  my  ignorance  or  his  unproductiveness  has 
left  him  in.  For  once,  the  decorations  seem  to  be  descrip- 
tive of  the  monarchs,  whom  a  nation's  loyalty  crowns 
with  the  attributes  of  a  god,  but  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  his  sole  title  to  religious  excellence  lies  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  Ludwigs  and  Hofkirchen,  which  may  have 
been  done  as  well  to  gratify  his  taste  for  architectural 
beauty  as  from  orthodox  motives,  so  called.  The  Odeon, 
Prince  Luitpold's  palace,  and  the  Ministry  of  War  that 
help  to  build  the  square,  are  in  the  peculiar  Rundbogen 
style  that  is  adopted  by  all  the  public  buildings  of  which 
the  street  is  composed,  and  in  the  same  outward  impos- 
ing form,  the  favorite  building  material  being  brick  and 
stone  with  marble  trimmings.  All  these  three  with  the 
palace  of  Empress  Elizabeth's  father,  the  Duke  Max, 
that  follows  are  built  by  Klenze,  and  the  Bibliothek,  by 
Gartner.  This  is  crowned  by  statues  on  the  steps  that 
lead  to  the  portal  of  Homer,  Aristotle,  Hippocrates,  and 
Thucydides,  names  that  are  common  enough  here,  and 
well  content,  I  dare  say,  to  build  their  temples  here. 

"The  Ludwigs  Kirche  follows  and  by  its  two  high  stee- 
ples in  pyramidal  form  though  quadrilateral  and  the 
limestone  of  which  it  is  built  stands  out  in  strong  con- 
trast to  the  red  and  white  of  its  neighbors. With  a  peep  at 


[121] 

the  Jesus  and  four  Evangelists  (Schwanthaler)  that  bless 
the  portal,  I  enter  and  of  course  find  the  celebration  of 
mass  in  progress.  The  Church  is  richly  frescoed  ( Ludwig 
seemed  to  take  particular  pleasure  in  this  branch  of  paint- 
ing) and  the  altar  piece  is  a  colossal  Last  Judgment  by 
Cornelius  himself,  indeed  the  largest  fresco  work  that 
the  master  has  given  us.  The  criticism  that  I  make  upon 
it  applies  almost  to  every  painter  that  Munich  has  edu- 
cated in  this  century,  not  even  (entirely)  excepting  Kaul- 
bach ;  while  the  conceptions  are  broad  and  intellectual — 
as  with  the  intense  training  of  our  better  painters  we  are 
justified  in  expecting — the  execution  fails  to  exhibit  that 
quiet  beauty,  that  evenness,  that  smoothness  in  tone  that 
you  find  in  the  better  ancients,  particularly  Raphael  and 
Van  Dyck,  and  it  is  seldom  that  you  can  leave  a  picture 
with  the  satisfaction  that  it  is  well-rounded. 

"The  Blind  Asylum  andUniversity  are  on  one  side;  the 
Priests'  School  and  Max  Joseph  Educational  Institute 
on  the  other  follow  in  close  succession  and  then  comes 
that  fitting  boundary,  the  Siegesthor  (Gate  of  Victory) 
like  the  Maximilianeum  on  the  Maximilian  Strasse  and 
thePropytea  on  the  Brienner,  perhaps  the  finest  of  them— 
like  a  well-ordered  climax,  the  best  is  left  for  the  last.  It 
is  built  after  the  plan  of  the  Constantine  Arch  in  Rome: 
a  triple  entrance,the  arch  carried  by  Corinthian  columns 
and  the  whole  topped  by  an  enormous  quadriga.  Vic- 
torias and  bas-reliefs  of  war  incidents  are  proper  orna- 
ments for  a  monument  to  Dem  BayrischenHeere,  and  the 
whole  presents  that  exquisite  symmetry  that  a  copy  from 


I22 

Roman  or  Grecian  architecture  in  its  prime  is  sure  to 
give  us.  Not  allowing  myself  to  be  attracted  into  the 
English  garden  to  the  right,  as  I  was  anxious  to  employ 
the  daylight  in  domiciliating  myself  and  putting  my 
time  to  the  best  possible  use,  for  any  day  might  see  me  on 
the  way  to  Switzerland  now,  I  then  came  to  the  Brien- 
ner  Strasse,  where  on  the  Carolinen  Platz  stands  a  high 
obelisk  creeled  out  of  captured  cannon  to  the  30,000 
troops  that  fell  in  the  Russian  campaign  lauchfur  der 
Vaterland  Befreiung'  (which,  by  the  way,  is  to  my  un- 
derstanding a  little  enigmatical),  and  from  which  I  hur- 
ried on  to  the  Propylea  which  from  afar  drew  me  at 
locomotive  pace  and  claimed  my  attention  even  before 
the  Glyptothek  and  Kunst  aus  Stellings  Gebdude  that  stand 
to  the  right  and  left  of  it.  Klenze  has  once  more  gone  to 
antiquity  for  his  inspiration,  this  time  taking  the  Acrop- 
olis for  a  model,  and  supports  the  Thor  upon  Doric  col- 
umns, the  inner  ones,  however,  being  Ionic.  Schwan- 
thaler  has  enriched  it  with  frescoes  of  incidents  from  the 
Grecian  War  of  Independence,  with  which  all  Philhel- 
lenes,  not  excluding  Ludwig  himself,  were  then  occu- 
pied. The  very  day  after  its  completion  indeed,  October 
30, 1862,  King  Otto  entered  Munich  again.  The  Glyp- 
tothek, the  first  of  the  series  of  art  palaces  that  the  city 
owes  to  its  Sardanapalusian  monarch,  is  a  square  with 
solid  walls  (the  light  for  the  salons  coming  from  above), 
the  porticus  being  carried  by  eight  Ionic  columns  and 
ornamented  by  statues  of  Vulcan,  Pericles,  and  Father 
Phidias  on  one  side,  Hadrian,Prometheus,  and  Daedalus 


I23 

on  the  other,  who  in  some  way  are  associated  with  the 
art  of  sculpture  to  which  the  halls  are  dedicated.  These, 
as  well  as  the  ornamentation  of  the  gable  (Minerva  pro- 
tecting the  arts),  are  the  work  of  Wagner,  who  also  de- 
signed the  beautiful  quadriga. 

"In  the  niches  on  the  east  are  those  who  since  the  Res- 
toration are  entitled  to  leadership  in  their  art:  of  the 
Renaissance  period,  Angelo,  Donatello,  Ghiberti,  Peter 
Vischer,Cellini,andJohn  of  Bologna;  of  the  present  day, 
Canova,  Schwanthaler,Thorwaldsen,  Rauch,Tenerani, 
and  Gibson,  somehow  leaving  out  Rietschel  and  his  pu- 
pils, why  I  do  not  see,  unless  it  be  that  those  above  named 
are  preferred  for  having  given  Munich  monuments  of 
their  greatness. 

"Sunday,  June  24/77.The  day  opened  as  it  had  closed, 
rainy,  and  so  I  concluded  to  attend  the  morning  mass 
at  Michaelis  Kirche  and  hear  one  of  the  fine  old  masses 
of  Pergolese,  Allegri,  or  Palestina,  to  which  the  choir 
here  confines  itself;  and  indeed,  though  the  Church  was 
crammed  full  of  devout  worshipers  whom  no  bad  weath- 
er could  keepaway  and  I  was  compelled  to  stand  through- 
out the  service,  I  scarcely  gave  that  a  thought,  for  though 
neither  the  choir  nor  the  orchestra  were  responsible  for 
it,  I  was  as  if  enthralled  throughout  and  can  understand 
that  the  story  they  tell  of  Mozart  when  at  St.  Peters  he 
heard  the  Allegri  mass  is  more  than  a  myth.  If  the  music 
does  belong  to  days  that  are  buried,  we  can  do  no  better 
than  to  imitate  it ;  and  to  hear  such  an  Agnus  Dei,  so 
wailing  and  sad,  or  such  a  Gloria,  so  exalting  or  grand,  is 


I24] 

enough  to  make  one  turn  Catholic  on  the  spot,  if  only 
to  be  in  full  sympathy  with  the  music.  I  came  too  late 
to  hear  more  than  the  closing  words  of  the  sermon,  but 
they  showed  me  that  the  theme  had  been  one  which  the 
Catholic  clergy  now  loves  to  adopt  in  justifying  their 
opposition  to  liberal  measures;  viz.,  that  progress  unless 
it  brings  about  an  improvement  in  the  human  race  is  no 
progress  at  all,  and  the  only  times  in  which  the  Church 
has  opposed  itself  to  so  called  'progressists'  was  when 
it  saw  that  an  advance  in  appearance  was  only  a  retro- 
grade movement  in  fact. 

"  Mass  once  finished,  I  ran  over  the  Church  hastily  be- 
fore the  military  mass  commenced,  and  found  that  not 
only  in  the  excellence  of  its  music  did  it  give  a  parallel 
for  the  Augustiner  Kirche  in  Vienna,  but  that  where  that 
offered  Canova's  great  monument  to  the  Archduchess 
Maria  Christina,  this  gave  us Thorwaldsen's  to  the  Duke 
of  Leuchtenburg,  the  great  and  good  son  of  Josephine, 
Eugene  de  Beauharnais,  of  whom  his  memorial  is  still 
able  to  say  of  him  and  with  him,  'Honneuretjidelite.'  I 
never  had  but  one  reproach  for  this  man  and  that  one, 
that  he  was  not  Napoleon's  son;  his  qualities  were  ex- 
cellent enough  to  allow  him  to  be  certainly.That  would 
have  spared  us  Josephine's  divorce,  which  makes  un- 
pleasant reading  in  Napoleon's  history  and  (of  course, 
put  in  a  superstitious  rather  than  an  argumentative  way) 
might  have  spared  Napoleon  his  defeat. 

"The  rain  prevented  my  accomplishing  anything  un- 
til evening,  when  I  attended  Vespers  at  the  Metropoli- 


I  ["5] 

tan  Church  of  the  Archbishopric,  the  Frauenkirc/ietznd 
while  I  heard  but  poor  music,  I  saw  an  enormous  church 
in  late  Gothic  style  (the  Michaelis  Kirche  represents  that 
period  of  Roman  architecture  when  the  Gothic  had  been 
forsaken  for  old  classical  forms)  with  the  same  length  as 
its  steeples  are  high,  something  over  320  feet.  It  is  beau- 
tifully decorated  with  elaborate  woodwork  in  Gothic 
architecture,  too,  making  up  the  altar,  pulpit,  shrines, 
etc., — very  monuments  of  painstaking.  In  the  nave  of 
the  Church  is  the  grave  of  the  Emperor  Ludwig,  the 
Bayer,to  whom  Munich  has  particular  reason  to  be  grate- 
ful for  many  rewards  for  her  own  constancy  to  him. 

"This  duty  done,  I  made  for  the  Maximilian  Strasse 
to  give  it  my  first  inspection,  and  found  the  same  uni- 
formity as  well  as  peculiarity  in  the  buildings  here  as 
in  the  Ludivigs  Strasse;  they  have,  however,  nothing  but 
this  and  the  pretentiousness  of  their  houses  in  common. 

"Then  we  come  to  the  beautiful  monument  of  Max 
II,the  late  King,a  gem  of  work  by  Zumbusch  in  bronze, 
and  in  the  bright  red  color  that  its  youth  allows  it  setting 
off  the  whole  square. 

"Beyond,  and  over  the  bridge  that  spans  the  Isar  rush- 
ing through  the  English  Garden  in  two  arms,  is  the  Max- 
imilianeum  built  by  Max  II  as  an  educational  institute 
for  college  employees  (suggesting  that  President  Hayes 
in  his  civil  service  reform  might  start  a  new  West  Point 
for  the  training  of  civil  employees  of  the  government). 
It  stands  on  an  eminence  (the  Gasteighohe)  and  crowns 
the  street— a  brick  edifice  with  rich  frescoes  on  its  ar- 


[126] 

cade-like  front,  to  which  winding  broad  steps  lead  — 
made  upon  gold  background  by  Peloty,  Dietz,  Spiess, 
and  Echter.  I  was  not  admitted  to  the  inner  halls  where 
there  is  at  least  a  historically  interesting  collection  of 
paintings  representing  thirty  great  stages  in  the  world's 
history  by  different  painters,  as  also  twelve  busts  of  cele- 
brated men,  which  I  greatly  regret  I  must  accept  on  faith. 

"Having  taken  a  cup  of  coffee  in  the  pretty  Cafe  Lo- 
renZj  which  with  the  Victoria  is  on  this  street,  I  started 
blindly  into  the  Englischer  Garten,  for  which  the  Mun- 
chener'zxt  under  obligations  to  Count  Rumford,  another 
one  of  these  versatile  geniuses;  and  if  I  did  not  find  its 
well  shaded  allee  and  heavy  old  trees  beautiful,  I  am 
willing  to  account  for  it  by  the  fact  that  the  roads  after 
the  many  rainfalls  of  the  past  days  were  in  miserable  con- 
dition and  I  was  in  no  mood  to  find  a  Paradise  pretty, 
so  that  I  trudged  along  even  to  the  second  bridge  and 
over  it  only  because  it  told  me  so  many  stories  over  again 
that  had  been  given  to  me  before  by  father,  and  more 
than  once  I  was  no  little  moved  to  think  that  perhaps 
I  was  treading  at  this  and  that  moment  the  very  ground 
that  he  and  his  parents  before  him  had  trodden. 

"I  passed  the  Chinesischer  Thurm,  which  afforded  me 
another  of  the  many  chances  that  the  traveler  has  to  dis- 
pel illusions,  for  it  is  nothing  more  than  a  sort  of  tower 
like  those  that  our  old  engine-houses  in  Cincinnati  used  to 
have  to  look  out  for  fires  before  the  fire  alarm  telegraph 
was  introduced.  As  I  worked  my  way  out  into  the  Hof- 
gartenwith  its  long  arcades,  I  saw  a  little  statue  by  Xavier 


C  « 

Schwan thaler  (the  junior,!  believe)  ,presented  to  the  peo- 
ple by  some  Graf  with  an  unpronounceable  name,  and 
generally  spoken  of  as  the '  Harmlosj  from  the  first  word 
of  the  inscription  which  bids  the  laborer  wander  harm- 
lessly in  the  fresh  air  and  green  fields,  then  to  return  again 
with  renewed  vigor  and  lightened  heart  to  his  work. 

"Went  home  through  the  Promenaden  P/afz, where 
a  whole  bunch  of  statues  crown  the  green :  in  the  center, 
Max  Emanuel  (the  Erofarer),  Gluck,  Westenrieder 'the 
great  historian,'  Kreitmayer,  the  Bavarian  Chancellor 
that  gave  the  country  its  laws,  and  Orlando  di  Tasso  or, 
more  properly  (he  wasaNetherlander),RolanddeLattre, 
the  composer.  Further,  the  large  Knegs-Schule  and,  to 
keep  it  warm,  the  Trinity  and  Capuchin  Churches,  then 
the  Karlo  Platz,  with  a  monument  of  Goethe,  and  we 
are  home  —  where  the  rain  keeps  us. 

"June  2 5/77. The  weather  has  improved  and  I  am  on 
my  way  to  the  Alte  Pinakothekyw\iic\\.  with  the  garden 
that  encloses  it  occupies  the  square  formed  by  the  Arcis, 
Gabelsberger,  Baier,  and  Theresien  Strasse.  On  the  square 
north  of  it  is  the  Neue  Pinakothek,  and  together  they 
make  up  the  royal  gallery,  the  latter  having  pictures 
mostly  of  the  present  century,  the  former  from  its  prime, 
the  time  of  the  Renaissance— 1 5th,  1 6th, and  1 7th  cen- 
turies. 

"I  confess,  in  the  hurried  examination  that  the  con- 
dition of  my  eyes  would  allow  me  I  was  sorely  disap- 
pointed, and  was  not  only  not  willing  to  give  it  prece- 
dence over  Dresden  and  Vienna,  but  indeed  placed  it 


[128] 

considerably  in  arrear,  except  in  the  specimens  of  Raph- 
ael and  Murillo,the  old  German  masters  (in  Kolner  and 
Diirer  the  collection  is  particularly  strong),  and  perhaps, 
at  least  so  far  as  Dresden  is  concerned,  Rubens,  too.  How- 
ever, in  this  collection  of  fourteen  hundred  pictures  there 
are  at  least  thirty  of  surpassing  interest,  and  that  is  enough 
to  give  any  gallery  a  world-wide  reputation,  while  it 
would  be  unfair  not  to  add  also  that  one  seeking  to  learn 
as  well  as  to  enjoy  can  find  much  material  here  to  teach 
him.  The  arrangement  of  the  pictures  and  the  peculiar 
mode  of  lighting  them  is  admirable,  and  the  halls  in 
which  they  are  placed,  alike  by  richness  and  the  taste 
of  their  ornamentation,  simply  beautiful. 

"The  first  halls  and  adjoining  cabinets  for  the  smaller 
pictures  aredevotedtotheoldGermanandDutch  Schools, 
and  here  Diirer,  both  by  number  of  works  as  well  as  by 
their  general  excellence,  stands  out  prominently,  and 
in  his  so  called  Testament  as  Artist  and  Christian  of  the 
four  Apostles  —  in  two  pictures,  Peter  and  John  and  Paul 
and  Mark,  gains  the  wreath. 

"Of  the  later  Netherlanders,  we  fail  to  find  that  host 
of  names  and  works  that  particularly  Dresden  is  so  strong 
in,  and  must  content  ourselves  with  a  few  exemplars  of 
such  names  as  Ruysdael,  Wouverman,  Berchem,Teniers, 
Ostade,  Jordaens,  Snyders,  etc.,  to  tell  us  at  least  of  what 
they  are  able  to  do. 

"Van  Dyck  gives  us  several  portraits,  and  among  the 
pictures  of  imagination,  two:  a  Pieta  and  a  Madonna 
with  Jesus  and  John,  of  that  mild  beauty  and  smoothness 


I29] 

that  in  my  opinion  makes  him  a  painter  second  to  none. 
I  believe  that  art  critics  would  hardly  justify  the  enor- 
mous lengths  that  my  enthusiasm  for  Van  Dyck  carry 
me,  and  yet  that  judgment  in  spite  of  all  authority  grows 
confirmed  with  experience. 

"  Rembrandt,  except  in  a  portrait  or  two,  is  hardly  seen 
at  his  best  here,  but  Rubens  gives  us  a  fine  collection  once 
more,  in  his  own  bold,  vigorous  style,  and  one  can  only 
wonder,  as  one  goes  from  gallery  to  gallery  and  sees  salon 
after  salon  filled  with  his  works,  at  the  indefatigable  in- 
dustry of  this  man  who  has  compressed  into  one  life  the 
work  of  a  dozen  ordinary  ones.  He  must,  verily,  have 
painted  a  picture  a  day.  Of  the  best  of  his  pictures  here,  I 
select  as  my  favorites  the  larger  Last  Judgment,  another 
one  of  his  enormous  conceptions;  The  Fruit  Wreath,  a 
large  wreath  of  fruits  and  flowers  carried  by  six  little 
cherubs;  The  Battle  of  the  Amazons;  a  splendid  Lion 
Chase;  and  The  Massacre  of  the  Innocents — all  of  which 
I  was  compelled  to  give  only  a  superficial  examination, 
so  that  a  second  visit  to  the  gallery  is  almost  imperative 
to  have  even  an  intelligent  opinion  of  its  contents. 

"When  we  have  finished  with  Rubens,  we  come  to 
the  Italian  School,  and  while  the  four  or  five  original 
Raphaels  are  enough  to  turn  the  gallery  into  a  peacock, 
we  miss  the  Titian  of  the  Belvedere,  and  the  del  Sarto, 
Correggio,Veronese,andGuidoReniof  the  Dresden  Mu- 
seum. To  be  sure,  they  have  here  one  of  Guido  Reni's — 
Ascension  of  Mary — which  is  the  best  work  of  the  mas- 
ter I  have  seen  in  these  proportions  and  indeed  a  noble 


[  'S 

work  of  art,  but  that  is  the  sole  exception.  Hardly  any- 
thing among  the  Pre-Raphaelite  painters  that  deserves 
mention,  and  even  of  the  later  date,  I  can  only  pick 
out  Cignani's  Ascension  of  Mary  and  perhaps  Titian's 
Venus  initiating  a  woman  into  the  service  of  Bacchus 
in  all  the  lascivious  splendor  which  this  Italian  knows 
so  well  how  to  throw  about  his  women. 

"In  the  Spanish  School,  if  we  have  nothing  else,  we 
have  at  least  six  magnificent  Murillos,  a  series  of  paint- 
ings from  the  lives  of  the  beggarly,  fruit-selling  children 
of  Spain,  so  material  in  every  detail,  so  full  of  expression 
and  eloquence  as  the  perfection  of  painting  alone  can  give . 
For  the  first  time,  I  have  seen  him  depart  from  his  relig- 
ious subjects,  and  may  add  that  for  the  first  time — except 
in  the  St.  John  at  the  Belvedere — I  have  seen  him  in  all 
his  masterly  genius.  The  two  girls  counting  money,  the 
two  boys  eating  grapes  and  melons,  the  same  gambling, 
the  same  eating  fruit  while  a  woman  cleans  their  hair, 
are  simply  exquisite  and  deserve  to  be  as  familiar  to  us 
all  as  engravings  have  made  them. 

"The  Frenchmen  are  as  strange  here  as  in  Vienna  and 
Dresden,  and  the  best  we  have  of  them  in  these  early  cen- 
turies is,  as  usual,  Claude  Lorraine  and  Poussin,  the  lat- 
ter with  a  burial  of  Christ,  the  former  with  landscapes. 

"Not  the  least  interesting  feature  of  the  Pinakothek  is 
the  loggia,  a  sort  of  vestibule  on  the  same  floor  as  the 
collection,  divided  into  many  arches,  whose  ceilings  and 
adjoining  walls  are  richly  frescoed  by  Cornelius  in  pic- 
tures illustrating  the  history  of  painting  in  Italy,  Ger- 


many,  Netherland,  and  France — always  instructive, even 
where  not  artistically  satisfactory.  The  climax  in  Italy 
begins  with  Cimabue  and  his  pupil,  the  shepherd  Giotto, 
whom  as  such  he  discovers  drawing  on  the  ground  in 
the  fields— leading  us  through  the  history  of  Fra  Angel- 
ico,  Masaccio,  Perugino,  Da  Vinci,  Correggio,  and  the 
Venetian  School  down  to  Angelo,  and  budding  into 
Raphael  with  an  introduction  indicating  the  connec- 
tion between  lyric  poetry  and  architecture,  with  relig- 
ion through  its  Old  Testament  representatives,  David 
and  Solomon  —  and  secondly,  the  Awakening  of  Art 
through  the  Crusades,  which  Rietschel  employs  for  the 
general  improver,  civilization. 

"Thehistory  of  the  Dutch  School  is  developed  through 
the  defeat  of  the  Turks,  by  Carl  Martel,  the  preachings 
of  Boniface,  also  used  by  Rietschel,  and  then  through 
the  efforts  of  the  great  MeisterWilhelm  of  Coin,  whose 
acquaintance  I  made  here  for  the  first  time,  the  brothers 
Van  Eyck,  Memling,  Van  Leyden,  Durer,  Holbein,  and 
Rembrandt,  Poussin,  and  finally,  Rubens,  who  in  such  a 
history  is  at  all  events  entitled  to  preference  over  Van 
Dyck,ifonly  for  the  reason  that  the  master  deserves  more 
praise  than  the  pupil  for  being  great  —  none  will  dispute 
that  Van  Dyck  was  the  greatest  of  his  pupils. 

"The  collection  of  vases,  steel  engravings,  and  draw- 
ings, also  in  the  building,  was  closed,  and  I  reserve  all 
comment  until  examination. 


[  '32  ] 

"GLYPTOTHEK. 

"After  a  little  dinner,  more  to  give  myself  rest  than 
to  appease  any  appetite  that  was  troubling  me,  I  ran 
through  the  rain  to  the  Glyptothek  and  finished  that  in 
the  same  cursory  way  the  same  afternoon. 

"As  the  name  indicates,  it  is  a  temple  of  sculpture,  and 
its  salons  represent  distinct  epochs  in  the  history  of  the 
art.  Being  no  Champollion,it  will  not  beprofitable  to  lay 
much  stress  on  Rooms  I  and  II,  the  Assyrian  and  Egyp- 
tian, and  indeed  their  specimens  are  not  very  numerous, 
which  applies  pretty  much  to  the  whole  Glyptothek.  One 
is  awed  rather  by  the  magnificence  of  the  rooms  than 
by  the  exhibits  they  contain. 

"Room  III  is  for  works  of  the  most  ancient  period  of 
Grecian  and  Etruscan  artists.  Room  IV  is  really  the  first 
room  that  warms  the  blood  in  your  veins,  and  heightens 
your  expectation.  It  is  called  the  Aeginsten  Saal,  from 
the  fact  that  its  most  striking  feature  is  two  gables  from 
a  temple  in  Aegina,  representing  the  contest  between 
Trojans  and  Greeks  for  the  dead  body  of  Achilles,  Mi- 
nerva intervening  to  secure  it  to  the  latter,  and  the  com- 
bat between  Hercules  and  Telamon  on  one  side  and 
Laomedon  on  the  other,  five  life-size  figures  in  the  lat- 
ter and  ten  in  the  former,  mostly  in  good  state  of  preser- 
vation, and  filled  out  by  Thorwaldsen  where  not,  so  that 
the  splendid  groups  are  given  us  in  the  order  and  as  they 
looked  in  the  temple  itself — of  enormous  importance 
to  students  of  the  art. 

"Apollo, Bacchus,and  Niobe  halls  follow,named  after 


C  '33  ] 

their  principal  statues,  with  many  specimens  of  the  best 
period  of  Grecian  sculpture,  that  of  Phidias  and  his  pu- 
pils; and  then  separating  these  from  the  so  called  Roman 
Room  and  Hero  Room  are  two  ante-chambers  of  fres- 
coes by  Cornelius,  in  the  Goffer  and  Trojaner  Sa/en,  with 
three  large  subjects  and  minor  ones  in  the  former,one  for 
each  division  of  the  God  Kingdom:  Heaven,  Hell,  and 
the  Sea;  and  in  the  latter,incidents  from  theTrojanWar; 
these  and  a  hundred  other  objects  of  the  master's  indus- 
try, indicating  that  what  I  said  of  Schwanthaler  with 
the  chisel  is  as  justly  applicable  to  him  with  the  brush. 
"A  room  of  work  in  colored  marble  and  then  we  come 
to  the  last  and  very  interesting  one,  for  it  confronts  us 
not  only  with  works  but  also  names  which  in  almost  all 
the  other  rooms  are  missing :  Canova  gives  us  two  statues 
of  Paris ;  Thorwaldsen  an  Adonis  and  a  bust  of  Ludwig ; 
Rauch,  Admiral  Tromp;  Tenerani,  a  Vesta;  and  Eber- 
hard,Busch,Dannester,Wolf,Freund  and  the  two  Scha- 
dows,  specimens  that  do  these  no  disgrace  in  appearing 
by  their  side. 

"NEUE  PlNAKOTHEK. 

"Tuesday,  June  26,  '77.  This  does  better  credit  to 
Munich  as  an  exhibition  and  is  the  best  display  of  mod- 
ern pictures  that  I  have  yet  seen,  though  containing 
much  that  is  but  mediocre  and  omitting  many  names 
even  among  the  Germans  (for  foreign  schools  are  wholly 
neglected)  that  deserve  to  figure  even  in  the  Pinakotkek, 
in  its  ideal. 


['34] 

"The  names  that  most  interest  us  are  Kaulbach  and 
Piloty,as  historical  painters;  Zimmermann  and  Roth- 
mann,  as  landscape  painters ;  H.  Hess  and  Schrandolph,  as 
religious  painters;  then  Schorn,Riedel,  Adam, and  Over- 
bach,  the  brighter  stars  of  the  galaxy  which  has  grown 
out  of  Ludwig's  liberal  policy  many  of  whom,  too,  in 
his  visit  to  Italy  while  Crown  Prince  were  his  boon  com- 
panions (Piloty,  of  course,  belonging  to  a  later  day,  and 
being  the  Kaulbach  of  Ludwig  II).  Of  Kaulbach,  the 
gallery  has,  in  the  first  place,  the  extensive  sketches  for 
the  frescoes  on  the  outside  of  the  building,  executed  by 
Nilson,  being  a  history  of  the  efforts  of  Ludwig  in  Rome 
and  Munich  as  Crown  Prince  and  King  in  the  interest 
of  art,  and  with  numerous  portraits  of  the  artists  who 
under  different  circumstances  and  in  all  fields  seconded 
their  monarch's  work  effectually,  and  whose  names  are 
constantly  figuring  in  these  notes.  Then,  too,  he  gives  us 
a  fine  portrait  of  Ludwig,  which  greets  the  visitor  on  his 
entrance.  And  best  of  all,  his  magnificent,  well-known 
Destruction  of  Jerusalem,  the  sketch  for  one  of  the  six 
frescoes  for  the  National  Museum  of  Berlin,  which  prob- 
ably are  the  best  work  he  has  given  us,  including  as  they 
do,  the  Fall  of  Babel,  the  Golden  Age  of  Greece,  the 
Himmelschlacht,  the  Appearance  of  the  Crusaders  before 
Jerusalem,  and  the  Reformation.  Piloty  gives  us  but  lit- 
tle, but  that  enough  to  indicate  that  he  is  a  master  and 
possesses  not  only  a  vigorous  imagination,  but  also  a  po- 
etical one,  and  the  huge  Thusnelda  in  the  triumphal 
procession  into  Rome  and  before  the  stern  Germanicus, 


C'35] 

recalls  Makart,  while  it  overreaches  him.  In  the  same 
noble  style  is  his  Seni  before  the  Corpse  of  Wallenstein 
conceived. 

"  Both  Hess  and  Schrandolph  are  very  pretentious,  and 
though  often  very  successful,  more  particularly  in  in- 
dividual figures  than  in  general  effects,  one  cannot  but 
think  that  while  the  ancients  at  times  become  tiresome 
through  the  oneness  of  their  themes— the  religious,— yet 
when  a  modern  attempts  the  same  field,  he  only  suc- 
ceeds in  showing  us  how  little  painting  has  advanced  in 
the  last  two  hundred  years  and  more. 

"Rothman's  landscapes  have  a  high  reputation,  and 
more  on  that  account  than  from  any  pleasure  they  ex- 
cited in  me  do  I  mention  them  here.  A  special  room  is 
devoted  to  his  Grecian  landscapes,  twenty-three  in  num- 
ber, which  receive  a  beautiful  effect  from  the  peculiar 
light  of  the  room,  which  is  cut  off  from  the  spectators 
by  a  sort  of  middle  ceiling.  His  Italian  and  Sicilian  land- 
scapes, each  with  a  distich  by  Ludwig  himself,  adorn  the 
Arcades  in  the  rear  of  the  Bazar  and  face  the  Hof  Garten. 

"Zimmermann,however,  I  consider  a  great  master  and 
his  landscapes  here,  great  works.  I  do  not  refer  to  Claude, 
nor  to  A.,  nor  to  R.  S.,  but  to  R., whose  favorite  subject 
seems  to  be  a  landscape  in  winter,  of  which  he  gives  us 
some  splendid  exemplars. 

"  Riedel  is  also  a  strong  painter  among  the  moderns, 
and  almost  every  work  to  which  his  name  is  attached 
here  deserves  special  praise.  His  figures  (and  females 
seem  to  be  favorites  with  him)  have  that  bright  life-like 


['36] 

glow  that  distinguishes  Bouguereau,  of  whom  he  de- 
cidedly reminds  me.  He  gives  us  a  splendid  Neapoli- 
tan fisher  family,  a  Judith,  a  Mother  and  Child,  and  two 
Italian  women  —  all  excellent. 

"Schorn  is  represented  only  by  The  Deluge,  left  un- 
finished by  his  death,  a  large  picture  of  real  merit,  and 
though  unfinished  well  deserving  to  be  here.  Perhaps 
that  fact  makes  it  all  the  more  interesting.  I  love  to  fol- 
low an  artist  in  his  work. 

"  Overbach,  although  he  reminds  us  of  Wislicenus, 
does  not  justify  our  expectations,  but  on  the  other  hand 
we  meet  byway  of  offset  strange  names,  such  as  Coignet, 
Calloit,  and  Lange,  who  afford  us  equal  surprises,  as  they 
do  by  their  Passtum  Monks  Feeding  the  Poor  and  The 
Gossau  Lake  at  Dawn.  Adam  is  a  good  painter  of  ani- 
mals but  his  Storming  of  the  Duppeler  Schanzen  noth- 
ing extraordinary.  Geyer  gives  us  a  Capital  Council  of 
Physicians,  and  one  of  the  best  genre  pictures  in  the 
whole  collection  is  The  Last  of  the  Masquerade  Balls — 
time:  leaving  of  the  hall  at  its  conclusion,  running  over 
with  fun,  and  expressions  excellent. 

"  The  smaller  cabinets  occasionally  offer  something  of 
a  striking  nature,  and  in  my  impatience  to  get  through 
I  shall  refer  only  to  M.  Muller's  Return  from  the  Wed- 
ding—the bridal  party  sent  off  from  the  Inn  where 
festivities  have  been  held,  with  music,  fireworks,  and 
shooting;  a  moonlight  scene;  Capel's  Ludwig  I;  Thor- 
waldsen,  Catel,  Ceit, Wagner,  and  Klenze  at  a  Kneipe,  in 
;  Wilkie's  Opening  of  the  Testament  before  Rela- 


C 

tives  of  the  Deceased;  and  then,  sketches  out  of  the  re- 
cent Grecian  War,  by  P.  Hess,  basis  for  sketches  for  the 
arcades  of  the  Hof  Garten. 

"Among  the  portraits,  I  still  find  little  affection  for 
Angelica  Kaufman  but  am  glad  to  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Stiller.  The  Americans  for  aught  I  have  seen 
may  still  be  proud  of  their  Baker  and  Elliott. 

"This  gave  me  a  general  notion  of  the  pictures  in  the 
Neue  Pinakotheky  and  so,with  a  peep  at  the  Antiquarium, 
noteworthy  only  for  its  fine  cork  models  of  such  cele- 
brated ancient  houses  as  the  Amphitheatre,  Constan tine 
Arch  (Rome),  Acropolis  (Athens), Pantheon  (Rome), 
Vesta  Temple  (Tivoli),and  Consul's  house  (Pompeii), 
as  also  some  gilded  bronze  nails  from  the  Treasury  of 
the  Atrida?  in  Mycenae  (probably  obtained  at  a  late  date 
from  Schliemann),  I  went  home. 

"Wednesday,  June  27, '77. Today  I  ran  about  here  and 
there,  taking  a  peep  for  a  few  minutes  into  one  corner 
and  then  into  another  and  making  myself  feel  at  home, 
as  it  were,  in  Munich.  I  examined  the  interior  of  the 
TheatinerKirche,  which  is  built  in  the  most  extravagant 
form  of  the  Rococo,  which  in  Germany  has  received  the 
name  of  Barock,  and  is  a  mass  of  stone  ornamentation — 
so  much  of  leaves  and  flowers  and  fringes  and  what  not 
that,  as  in  every  case  of  an  overdose,  you  don't  enjoy  it 
at  all.  Its  outer  peculiarities  consist  of  two  steeples  in 
front  and  a  high  cupola  over  the  altar,  which  stand  out 
prominently  in  every  elevated  view  of  the  city.  It  is  in- 
teresting as  the  receptacle  of  the  royal  bones;  the  Hof- 


burger  Charles  VI I  lies  here,  too;  and  Max  1 1  has  received 
a  special  memorial  in  the  church.  St.  Gregorius  andCan- 
didus  have  not  only  received  a  like  distinction,  but  their 
skeletons  have  been  enclosed  in  rich  gold  and  jeweled 
armor,  and  in  glass  cases  under  shrines  now  receive  the 
homage  of  the  faithful. 

"The  HofKirche,  built  by  Louis  in  good  Roman  style 
mixed  with  a  little  of  the  Byzantine,  is  a  little  gem,  and 
with  its  pillars  of  bright  colored  marble  and  gilded  cap- 
itals, walls  of  various  colored  marbles,  and  almost  every 
inch  of  space  covered  with  frescoes  on  gold  background 
byH.  Hess  and  his  pupils,  it  looks  as  bright  as  a  holiday. 

"From  here  I  went  into  the  Hof  Garten,  where  stands 
a  fountain  with  a  little  nymph  by  Schwanthaler  to  crown 
it,  and  on  all  but  one  side  of  the  square,  surrounded  by 
an  arcaded  terrace  with  frescoes  and  encaustics,  one  side 
containing  the  stories  of  Bozzaris  and  his  brother-heroes, 
by  Hess;  another,the  landscapes  of  Rothman;  and  the 
third,  incidents  from  Bavarian  history  (of  course,  only 
such  as  a  good  citizen  likes  to  be  reminded  of),  by  Kaul- 
bach  and  others. 

"  From  here  I  crossed  the  old  city  and  through  the  Carlo 
Platz  came  to  the  Schwanthaler  Museum,  where  the 
Academy  has  provided  for  us  casts  of  most  of  the  works 
of  the  masters ;  to  be  sure,  not  four  thousand  like  Rubens, 
but  still  a  goodly  number  and  almost  all  standard.  Of  the 
more  interesting  ones  are  the  Herrman  Schlacht  for  the 
Walhalla  at  Regensburg,  to  fill  out  a  gable,  no  doubt,  as 
were  those  of  a  Parthenon,  etc.;  the  figures  and  reliefs 


C  '39  ] 

for  the  Slawja ;  the  Ruhmeshalle  of  Bohemia,  where  a 
Catholic  Emperor  has  allowed  the  memory  of  a  Huss 
Ziska  and  Podiebrad  to  be  immortalized ;  Bavarian  fam- 
ily for  the  Residenz;  Goethe  memorial  for  Frankfort; 
Ludwig's  in  Darmstadt;  Carl  Friedrich's  in  Carlsruhe; 
and  a  host  of  others,  many  of  which  I  have  met  with  in 
the  original  in  my  travels,  here  as  well  as  elsewhere,  and 
which  called  up  many  pleasant  reminiscences. 

"Schwanthaler's  cousin's  son,  also  a  sculptor,  has  his 
atelier  across  the  street  (Xavier  S),and  a  glance  from  the 
window  found  a  full  room  to  testify  that  the  senior's  in- 
dustry, at  least,  has  gone  over  to  him. 

"NATIONAL  MUSEUM. 

"  Thursday,  June  2  8,  '77. This  is,  after  all,  the  greatness 
of  Munich,  and  the  few  hours  stroll,  to  which  I  was 
obliged  to  confine  myself,  through  its  endless  collections 
fill  me  with  regret  that  my  health  and  time  do  not  al- 
low me  the  study  of  it  that  it  deserves.  It  is  a  combina- 
tion of  all  arts,  and  an  exhibit  of  their  development  from 
birth  to  present  maturity,  bringing  us  face  to  face  with 
all  ages  and  all  peoples  of  which  we  have  knowledge, 
and  giving  us  the  Historische  Museum  Schatzkammer, 
Porzellan,  Sammlungen,  etc.,  of  other  cities  all  in  one. 

"I  entered  first  a  little  room  on  the  ground  floor  that 
contains  the  instruments  with  which  enemies  of  state  and 
religion  were  tortured  and  criminals  punished  —  always 
horrible  and  often  droll.  Let  us  be  thankful  that  they 
only  hang  us  nowadays.  From  here  I  ascended  to  the  first 


[  '40] 

floor,  where  in  room  after  room  and  in  excellent  arrange- 
ment are  exhibited  instruments  of  warfare,  arranged  in 
chronological  order,  interspersed  with  specimens  that 
belonged  to  those  who  have  left  their  seal  on  the  page 
of  history,  as  well  as  many  specimens  of  civilians' dress, 
to  bring  different  epochs  more  closely  face  to  face  with 
the  students.  Then,  too,  Ludwig  with  his  usual  credit- 
able love  for  such  an  enterprise  has  willed  to  the  museum 
his  whole  wardrobe  with  that  of  his  wife,  the  Princess 
Therese  of  Sachsen  ~H.ildburghausen,vf\ti\  annotations  in 
his  own  handwriting  for  those  pieces  that  have  become 
historical.  Memorials  of  Napoleon,  Frederich,  Tilly, 
GustavAdolph,etc., etc.,  abound  as  usual  and  bring  each 
time  renewed  interest,  and  I  can  stare  and  dream  for  an 
hour  at  a  time  at  a  sword  of  one  of  the  French  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  great  Revolution,  by  its  form  as 
well  as  its  connections  recalling  the  consuls  and  prastors 
of  a  Roman  Republic,  and  wondering  at  the  piety  of  a 
man  who  could  be  so  bloodthirsty  as  Max  I,  when  I  see 
the  altar  that  followed  him  about  in  his  campaigns  — 
slaughter  the  heretics  and  thank  God  the  moment  after. 
Trophies  abound,too,and  the  whole  campaign  of  1870-1 
comes  back  to  me,  when  I  see  a  chasse-potand  tabatiere 
from  Bazeilles,  a  mitrailleuse  and  an  aigle  or  gendarme 
breast-plate  from  Worth. 

"All  the  rooms  of  this  floor  have  their  walls  covered 
with  large  paintings,  fairly  making  up  the  history  of  Ba- 
varia and  its  provinces,  the  Pfalz,  Franken,  and  Schwa- 
ben,  mostly  by  young  Bavarian  artists  of  unequal  merit 


but,  taken  altogether,  producing  an  impressive  effect. 
A  room  of  quaint  old  instruments  (musical)  follows  the 
arms  collection,  and  such  queer  looking  pianos,  violins, 
flutes,  lutes,  bagpipes,  and  viola  de  gamba  (ce//i)  as  one 
finds  is  a  caution. 

"  Then  a  room  of  the  work  of  the  different  smith- 
guilds,  in  which,  of  course,  Bavaria  through  her  Augs- 
burg and  Niirnberg  can  make  a  creditable  display. 

"We  pass  through  rooms  containing  models  of  old 
ships  and  the  old  cities  of  Bavaria,  and  then  comes  the 
exhibition  of  fabrics:  laces,  embroideries,  linens,  silks, 
and  velvets  in  profusion;  the  Ceramic  Collection,  as  in 
Dresden,carries  us  from  the  simplest  unornamented  clay 
and  terra-cotta  to  the  magnificent  Meissner  and  Sevres 
porcelain  and  to  Oriental  manufacture.  As  it  is  not  the 
specialty  that  the  Porzellan  Sammlung  in  Dresden  is,  one 
is  not  surprised  to  find  it  lagging  well  behind. 

"Glasswork,  wood-carving,  old  Italian  playthings  fol- 
low, and  then  we  are  prepared  to  ascend  to  the  second 
floor,  where  I  was  constantly  imagining  myself  back 
again  in  the  Schatz  Kammer  on  the  Elbe  for  the  exhibit 
in  almost  every  case  is  a  combination  of  the  industrial 
with  the  ornamental. 

"Its  plan  embraces  all  works  of  art  from  the  time  of 
the  Renaissance  to  the  present  and  includes  the  several 
Schools  that  have  intervened,  such  as  the  Rococo  and 
Napoleonic,  in  systematic  groupings.  Endless  Gobelins 
take  the  place  of  the  paintings  below,  on  the  walls,  and 
in  connection  with  religious  topics  and  often  from  such 


important  cartoons  as  those  of  Raphael,  cover  often  the 
same  ground.  The  exhibit  consists  of  all  specimens  of  fur- 
niture: broad  canopied  beds,  huge  cabinets  that  might 
store  away  a  whole  household  and  with  innumerable 
mysterious  drawers  and  slides,  chairs  of  every  possible 
shape  but  one  to  insure  comfort,  stands  of  wonderful 
mechanism  and  beauty,  tables  of  every  material  from 
stone  to  marble  and  fairly  built  up  of  mosaics,  and  then 
ivory,  amber,  enamel,  gold,  silver,  lead,  and  brass  utilized 
in  every  imaginable  department  and  often  of  finest  work- 
manship—so  you  are  led  from  hall  to  hall  and  from  sur- 
prise to  surprise  and  yet  know  that  you  are  not  seeing 
one-half  that  is  being  displayed  and,  hurrying  by,  do  not 
by  nine-tenths  appreciate  why  these  things  deserve  ex- 
hibition. 

"  On  the  parterre ',  one-half  the  space  is  devoted  to  the 
Gothic  period,  containing  casts  and  originals  from  every 
part  of  church  and  house,  gravestones,  woodwork  paint- 
ing, book  illustration,  and  in  a  word,  everything  that  is 
peculiar  in  the  I4th,  1 5th,  and  i6th  centuries.  It  is  an 
odd  collection,  and  things  do  not  look  old-fashioned  as 
above,  but  moldy  and  strange  enough  to  remind  one  of 
Ante-Diluvian.The  other  half  is  devoted  to  similar  ob- 
jects from  Roman  times  and  the  wandering  of  peoples 
down  to  the  middle  ages,  though  a  hurried  glance  had 
to  satisfy  me  of  this,  for  I  was  too  wearied  to  take  note 
of  particulars. 

"A  garden  in  the  rear  contains  statues  with  gravestones 
transplanted  hither,  and  now  anyone  who  should  read 


['43] 

these  notes  is  prepared  to  begin  an  intelligent  examina- 
tion of  the  Bavarian  National  Museum. 

"Friday,  June  29/77.  Today  is  the  holiday  of  Peter 
and  Paul  (the  German  has  about  three  a  week  and  dur- 
ing the  week  days  sleeps  eight  hours,  eats  two,  sits  three 
to  four  hours  in  the  coffee-houses,  where  he  reads  the 
papers  and  plays  cards  or  billiards,  and  the  balance  of  the 
time,  except  the  six  hours  that  he  spends  in  the  Gar- 
ten in  the  evening,  works,  I  suppose)  and  the  streets  and 
churches  show  it.  Those  more  liberally  disposed  have 
early  in  the  morning  gone  off  upon  small  excursions  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  city  and  will  make  a  day  of  it. 
In  not  much  of  a  humor  for  anything,  I  sauntered  up  the 
Louisen  Strasse,took  a  turn  into  the  Carlo  Strasse,where 
stands  the  long  red  St.  Boniface  Church  of  Ludwig,  con- 
taining his  grave.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  my 
architectural  studies,  being  built  in  the  purest  Romanic 
style,  and  so  I  entered  to  study  it  though  mass  was  in 
progress,  and  whether  out  of  pure  delight  at  seeing  me, 
or  not,  the  choir  struck  up  a  Gloria  in  Excelsis  just  as  I 
entered  the  portal.  The  sight  that  greets  your  eyes  is  a 
striking  one,  and  the  great  length  of  the  church  with 
its  many  columns  of  bright  marble  and  capitals  of  fan- 
tastic shapes  that  grew  out  of  the  religious  exaltation  of 
the  Byzantines  and  Mahometans  (see  Moorish  School), 
with  the  rich  bright  frescoes,  by  Hess,  Schrandolph, 
and  others,  portraying  incidents  in  the  life  of  the  Patron 
Saint  of  Germany,  Cujus  ad honoremtwith  long  rows  of 
popes  and  saints,  makes  a  lively  picture  indeed.  It  is  a 


genuine  Basilica,  the  roof  not  vaulted  as  in  the  Gothic 
style  but  with  a  low  arch  bounded  by  horizontal  beams 
that  far  from  adding  to  the  beauty  of  the  starry  firmament 
beyond  only  give  the  church  an  appearance  of '  half- 
done,'  for  they  suggest  scaffolding,  and  so  far  as  I  can  see 
answer  no  purpose  mechanical  or  otherwise. 

"  From  here  I  dropped  for  a  few  moments  into  the  Alte 
Pinakothekj  took  a  better  peep  at  the  Rubens  Room,  and 
especially  at  his  great  Last  Judgment,  reminding  one  in 
the  terrible  fall  of  the  wicked  into  the  hands  of  Satan  of 
Milton's  grand  description  of  the  driving  of  the  rebel- 
lious angels  into  Hell.  Found  one  or  two  good  Titians 
and  Teniers  that  I  had  not  noticed  before  — a  splendid 
series  of  religious  pictures  that  von  derWerff  painted  ex- 
presslyfor  the  Elector  John  William, one  of  the  founders 
of  the  gallery,  and  then  more  quietly  studied  the  Raph- 
ael originals  that  in  unusual  number  more  than  for  any 
other  reason,  perhaps,  lend  the  Pinakothek  the  import- 
ance it  possesses.  Some  very  early  works  are  but  poor 
scratches  and  altogether  without  interest;  a  portrait  of 
Bindo  Altoviti,  reminding  one  strongly  of  his  own  face, 
is  decidedly  overpainted,  and  we  are  obliged  to  fall  back 
on  the  Madonna  della  Tenda  (distinguished  among  art 
critics  as  the  one  of  the  green  curtain) ,  the  Madonna  Cani- 
glani  (out  of  whose  house  the  picture  came  to  the  gal- 
lery), and  the  Madonna  di  Tempi  (so  called  from  the  Casa 
Tempi  in  Florence,  its  former  home) .  I  confess  to  disap- 
pointment again,  and  refuse  to  recognize  in  these  three 
pictures  which  have  fame  enough  among  se  dit  connois- 


[  '45  ] 

seurs  the  genius  that  could  paint  a  di  Sista,  Caeci/ia,  and 
other  works,  which  indisputably  earn  for  the  master  the 
pinnacle  of  fame  which  is  accorded  to  him.  But  when 
I  have  got  to  make  so  strong  an  effort  as  I  had  with  these 
pictures  to  find  something  that  would  call  forth  favor- 
able criticism  I  become  distrustful,  and  lay  all  admira- 
tion that  is  drawn  out  by  forceps  to  the  name  and  not 
to  the  work.' 


[  '46  ] 

CHAPTER  VII 

Jesse  Warren  Lilienihal: 

The  Lawyer 

AR  traveling  for  eighteen  months  he  returned 
home.  When  that  became  known  to  Har- 
vard Law  School,  the  faculty  paid  him  the 
unusual  honor  of  conferring  his  degree  with- 
out his  going  through  the  form  of  an  examination.  It 
was  the  first  occurrence  of  the  kind  in  the  history  of 
the  College,  an  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  was  held,  and  this  great  appreciation  and  compli- 
ment did  much  to  eliminate  the  intensity  of  his  previ- 
ous disappointment. 

After  graduating  from  Harvard  on  his  return  from 
his  European  tour,  he  entered  the  office  of  Francis  N. 
Bangs.  He  had  the  highest  admiration  for  Mr.  Bangs' 
great  ability,  and  developed  a  sincere  friendship  for  him, 
which  was  apparently  reciprocated,  as  evidenced  by  Mr. 
Bangs' treatment  of  him.  Of  course  his  position  was  en- 
tirely one  of  a  volunteer,  seeking  for  knowledge  and 
experience,  and  the  only  reward  he  asked  was  to  be  given 
as  much  work  as  possible.  Mr.  Bangs  took  him  at  his 
word,  and  frequently  invited  him  to  his  home  after  office 
hours,  where  they  discussed  legal  propositions,  or  as  Lili- 
enthal  modestly  expressed  it,  "When  Bangs  talked  and 
expounded  and  I  listened."  His  association  with  Mr. 
Bangs  was  among  his  happiest  recollections.  He  often 


['47] 

quoted  Mr.  Bangs  as  saying, "There  is  no  case  which 
cannot  be  won  provided  you  put  sufficient  work  into  it," 
and  this  was  a  principle  which  he  followed  throughout 
his  professional  career. 

He  was  offered  a  junior  partnership  in  an  established 
law  firm  of  the  highest  reputation  but  refused  it,  wishing 
to  reach  success  through  his  own  efforts.  Perhaps  in  a 
way  a  mistake,  as  it  would  have  meant  an  easier  path,  but 
he  never  sought  the  road  of  least  resistance,  and  his  final 
great  success  as  a  lawyer  proved  his  correct  judgment, 
even  though  the  way  was  fraught  with  more  difficulties. 

In  1 880  he  began  his  law  practice  in  New  York,  tak- 
ing as  his  partner  Edward  D.  Bettens,  a  fellow  student 
at  Harvard  and  an  intimate  friend  while  in  college.  He 
rose  in  his  professional  career  almost  immediately. There 
was  little  wonder,  as  he  was  gifted  not  only  with  a  mar- 
velously  clear  and  logical  mind,  an  inexhaustible  mem- 
ory, great  concentration,  and  self-control,  but  he  was 
willing  to  give  no  end  of  work  to  anything  he  under- 
took. His  mind  worked  quickly  in  arriving  at  a  conclu- 
sion, but  he  was  not  impulsive  about  expressing  it,  and 
he  would  weigh  well  his  decision,  saying,"  Let  me  sleep 
over  it  before  giving  you  my  opinion."  Even  though 
often  he  arrived  at  his  original  conclusion,  the  exception 
proved  the  correctness  of  his  rule.  His  special  and  most 
prominent  trait  was  his  insistence  in  working  out  his 
problems  to  the  finest  detail,  never  satisfied  until  the  sub- 
ject in  hand  was  absolutely  clear  to  him.  No  work  was 
too  trying  in  disentangling  legal  propositions. 


[i48] 

From  1883  to  1888  he  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  the  Amendment  of  the  Law  of  the  Bar  Asso- 
ciation of  the  City  of  New  York.  This  was  interesting 
work,  bringing  him  in  contact  with  many  prominent 
and  experienced  lawyers.  Among  those  associated  with 
him  at  various  times  were  Sidney  Webster,  William  G. 
Choate,  Clarence  A.  Seward,  John  L.  Cadwalader,Wil- 
liam  H.  Arnoux,  J.  Bleecker  Miller,  Charles W. Gould, 
John  W.  Simpson,  Charles  C.  Beaman,Jr.,William  M. 
Irvin,William  B.  Hornblower,  Elial  F.  Hall,  Oliver  P. 
C.  Billings,  Augustus  C.  Brown, George  H.  Adams,  Lu- 
cienOudin,  Everett  P.  Wheeler,GeorgeC.Holt,Chaun- 
cey  S.Truax,  David  J.  Dean,  Charles  W.  Bangs,  Cephas 
Brainerd, Charles  B.Hubbell,  Arthur  G.  Sedgwick,  and 
Thomas  S.  Moore. 

He  continued  with  Mr.  Bettens  until  1893,  when  ^e 
was  obliged  to  leave  New  York  on  account  of  his  wife's 
health.  He  went  to  San  Francisco,  where  in  1894  he 
again  began  the  practice  of  the  law.  It  took  courage  to 
begin  life  anew  in  strange  surroundings  but  with  his  in- 
domitable will  he  set  to  work.  His  worth  and  ability 
were  soon  discovered,  and  his  speedy  success  was  phe- 
nomenal. 

After  continuous  and  very  active  work  as  a  lawyer  from 
i  894  until  1 9 1  o,  he  began  to  feel  the  effect  of  his  stren- 
uous life  and  concluded  to  cry  a  halt.  Up  to  this  time  he 
had  no  partner;  Mr.  Albert  Raymond,  however,  was  an 
able  assistant.  In  1 9 1  o  he  concluded  to  divide  his  work, 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  McKinstry  and  Mr. 


J49] 

Raymond  under  the  name  of  Lilienthal,  McKinstry,and 
Raymond,  Mr.  Joseph  Haber,  Jr.,  and  Mr.  Firebaugh 
as  juniors. 

He  was  a  patient  listener,  a  man  of  action  and  not  of 
words  and  when  his  heart  and  head  were  set  upon  ac- 
complishing something  he  knew  to  be  right,  then  he 
handled  his  subject  with  the  greatest  intensity. 

Although  an  uncompromising  fighter  when  he  con- 
cluded his  client  was  in  the  right,  he  never  became  vin- 
dictive, insulting,  or  vituperative  towards  the  opposing 
lawyer.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  in  arguing  cases  of  great 
importance  and  bitterness  he  would  handle  them  with 
so  much  tact  and  courtesy  that  no  enmity  would  ensue; 
in  fact  the  opposing  attorney  would  shake  him  by  the 
hand  at  the  end  of  the  argument.  The  relationship  be- 
tween him  and  his  clients  was  almost  that  of  father  con- 
fessor. They  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  his  advice, 
and  in  the  majority  of  cases  there  existed  true  friendship 
which  many  times  developed  into  real  affection. 

He  had  also  the  peculiar  and  unusual  experience  when 
drawing  up  an  agreement  for  his  client  to  have  the  party 
on  the  other  side  ask  his  advice,  and  when  answered, 
"But  I  am  not  your  lawyer,' 'the  response  came  back, 
"  I  need  only  to  look  into  your  eyes  to  see  that  you  would 
ask  nothing  but  justice  for  your  client,  and  that  is  good 
enough  for  me."  Could  any  higher  honor  have  been  con- 
ferred? 

He  had  a  talent  too  for  mediation.  He  was  ever  will- 
ing to  listen  to  both  sides  of  a  question,  keeping  his  mind 


['So] 

open,  with  no  preconceived  ideas  or  stubbornness  of 
opinion.  I  had  often  thought  his  vocation  should  have 
been  that  of  arbitrator  or  diplomat,  but  he  eschewed  pol- 
itics, the  stepping  stone  to  those  careers,  heartily  dislik- 
ing the  almost  obligatory  methods  necessary  to  gain  the 
goal. 

During  the  years  1914,  1915,  and  1 9 1 6  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  San  Francisco  Bar  Association. 

AN  EXPERIENCE  IN  MEXICO. 

When  only  thirty-five  years  old,  he  had  an  exceptional 
diplomatic  experience.  President  Diaz  of  Mexico  called 
him  to  the  City  of  Mexico  to  negotiate  the  State  loan 
which  for  several  years  in  the  past  had  been  in  the  hands 
of  Berlin  bankers  who  were  now  in  disfavor  with  Diaz 
and  he  was  anxious  for  a  change.  Jesse  W.  Lilienthal  com- 
bined with  New  York  and  London  bankers  and  formed 
a  syndicate.  With  a  representative  of  the  bankers,  he  left 
New  York  in  June,  1 890,  expecting  to  consummate  the 
negotiation  very  quickly,  as  the  call  was  unsolicited  and 
he  took  it  for  granted  that  Diaz  would  have  little  more 
to  do  than  arrange  the  contract  by  mutual  agreements. 
They  were  requested  to  come  to  Mexico  incognito,  how- 
ever, as  the  mission  was,  at  first,  to  be  a  secret  one. 

Diaz's  representative  met  them  at  San  Antonio  and 
promised  an  interview  with  the  President  on  their  ar- 
rival in  the  City  of  Mexico.  It  took  place  the  following 
day  and  the  reception  was  most  cordial  and  gratifying. 
Everything  looked  encouraging.  He  describes  Diaz  as 


['5'] 

"a  brilliant,  dashing,  hearty  young  fellow,  but  a  man  to 
be  conjured  with,  and  he  was  a  tyrant  in  Mexico  as  abso- 
lute and  arbitrary  as  the  Czar."  After  being  in  the  City 
of  Mexico  a  few  days,  to  his  surprise  he  discovered  be- 
sides the  Berlin  bankers  many  competitors  were  in  the 
field,  moving  heaven  and  earth  to  gain  the  loan  and  keep- 
ing his  syndicate  jumping  like  grasshoppers.  He  writes: 
"  I  began  to  realize  better  how  difficult  my  task  may  be 
and  one  to  be  handled  with  great  tact  and  finesse,  but 
'faint  heart  ne'er  won* and  I  shall  win  if  I  get  a  chance 
to  fight  on  the  merits." 

He  had  also  the  syndicate  bankers  to  consider  and  con- 
tend with,  as  they  were  set  and  finicky  in  their  demands. 

When  he  had  been  in  Mexico  some  time  it  became 
known  to  the  Berlin  bankers  that  they  had  a  serious  rival 
and  one  favored  by  the  President,  whereupon  they  used 
all  kinds  of  underhand  methods  to  oppose  the  scheme, 
even  to  approaching  the  Secretary  of  Finance,  who  be- 
trayed Lilienthal's  syndicate  by  keeping  the  Berlin  bank- 
ers informed  of  their  offers  and  plans. 

He  writes :  "Altogether  the  situation  is  very  trying  and 
embarrassing  but  I  must  confess  that  as  yet  it  only  spurs 
me  on  to  redoubled  efforts.  It  is  absolutely  impossible  to 
forecast  the  result,  but  as  yet  there  is  no  sign  of  a  break 
in  my  forces.  I  believe  that  Diaz  is  loyal  to  me,  but  at 
the  same  time  to  his  government.  On  June  26  we  had 
a  meeting  with  the  President  which  opened  with  the 
decision  that  even  though  our  conditions  might  be  very 
favorable,  he  could  not  award  the  contract  to  us  at  a 


[  '52  ] 

price  lower  than  the  Berlin  bankers  might  bid.  His  duty 
to  the  country  forbade  that.  This  action  was  most  cred- 
itable, but  this  great  competition  makes  the  bid  almost 
prohibitory  and  I  fear  our  syndicate  will  be  discouraged 
and  give  up  the  entire  negotiation. 

"  I  have  no  reason  to  anticipate  failure,  but  this  is  a 
strange  country  in  which  it  would  take  a  bolder  man 
than  I  am  to  undertake  to  anticipate  anything.  I  feel  as 
if  I  were  qualified  for  the  most  delicate  diplomatic  mis- 
sion after  this  experience,  not  but  what  we  are  keeping 
quite  along  the  straight  line  of  conscience  ourselves,  but 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  lack  of  it  among  some  of  the  offi- 
cials whose  influence  we  have  got  to  encounter.The  best 
of  them  all  is  the  President  himself,  who  is  assuming 
quite  dignified,yes,  even  heroic  proportions  in  my  eyes. 

"'Mananajnanana' (tomorrow, tomorrow),that  is  the 
curse  of  this  country.  When  one  thinks  the  end  is  in  sight, 
postponementagain  appears  onthescene — Mexican  fash- 
ion of  procrastination.  *  Tomorrow  it  will  be  arranged 
sure';  I  have  heard  this  now  nearly  daily  for  a  week.  I 
do  not  believe  that  there  is  a  court  in  the  world  with 
more  intrigue  and  mystery  than  this  one,  and  there  are 
matters  occurring  here  every  day  which  would  make  the 
old  sphinx  look  like  mere  child's  play.  De  la  Torre,  son- 
in-law  of  the  President,  assures  us  that  matters  could  not 
look  more  favorable,  but  that  we  must  be  patient.  My 
one  hope  is  that  the  President  called  for  me  to  come  on 
to  do  this  business,  and  I  suppose  he  knew  what  he  was 
about." 


['S3] 

"July  1 2,  i 890.  I  do  begin  to  feel  a  little  battered  after 
the  experience  of  the  last  weeks.  At  least,  I  have  the  sen- 
sation that  attends  a  landing  from  a  very  tempestuous 
voyage  and  I  can  not  yet  be  absolutely  sure  that  the  haven 
in  question  is  one  of  rest,  but  tonight  the  outlook  is  cer- 
tainly one  of  that  nature,  as  Diaz  has  assured  us  today  by 
letter,  over  his  own  autograph,  that  the  contract:  will  be 
awarded  to  us.  We  will  soon  prepare  for  our  departure." 

"The  following  morning,very  early,  there  was  a  knock 
at  our  door  and  DelaTorre  in  great  excitement  informed 
us  that  Diaz  'wishes  an  audience/ 1  could  see  things  were 
not  serene.  We  went  to  Chapultepec  immediately,  met 
the  President,  who  with  bowed  head  and  deep  mortifi- 
cation, stated  he  must  ask  us  to  release  the  loan,  as,  with- 
out his  knowledge,  a  secret  contract  had  been  signed  by 
his  London  agent  and  the  German  bankers.  The  Ger- 
man government  has  interfered  in  their  behalf  threaten- 
ing international  complications  should  the  contract  not 
be  awarded  to  the  German  bankers,  stating  they  would 
send  German  gunboats  to  Vera  Cruz,  which  with  their 
superior  force  was  a  simple  matter. 

"Thepurchasingprivilegehadbecomesomuchhigher 
than  our  syndicate  anticipated  that  the  cream  of  the  ne- 
gotiation had  been  destroyed." 

It  was  naturally  a  great  disappointment  to  him,  for 
had  he  succeeded  it  would  have  been  a  great  victory  for 
him  and  an  enormous  fee  the  reward.  As  was  his  wont, 
he  accepted  his  defeat  gracefully  and  he  states:  "The  trip 
and  the  loss  of  time  can  be  charged  to  the  account  of 


['54]   . 

experience,  a  luxury  for  which  every  man  must  pay,  and 
I  will  not  say  that  the  investment  is  not  a  good  one." 


CHAPTER  VIII 
The  United  Railroads 

As  PRESIDENT. 

1x1913  out  of  a  clear  sky  came  the  call  from  New 
York  bankers  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  U  nited 
Railroads  of  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Lilienthal  at  this 
time  was  considering  the  lessening  of  his  labors  gen- 
erally, and  had  almost  determined  to  limit  his  legal  prac- 
tice to  consultation  and  devote  himself  to  literary  work, 
more  particularly  with  reference  to  legal  propositions. 
He  therefore  very  seriously  hesitated  to  accept  the  call, 
and  it  was  only  after  consultation  with  a  number  of 
prominent  San  Francisco  men  that  he  was  persuaded  to 
do  so.  He  realized  the  great  responsibility  he  was  under- 
taking and  that  it  would  be  at  a  great  sacrifice  should 
he  accept  the  offer,  but  he  felt  that  he  might  be  able  to 
raise  the  Road  out  of  the  very  unpopular  position  it  oc- 
cupied. 

In  an  interview  with  a  San  Francisco  newspaper,  he 
said: 

"  The  offer  came  as  a  complete  surprise  to  me.  I  had  no 
intimation  that  any  change  was  pending  in  the  management 
of  the  United  Railroads  or  that  I  was  being  considered.  In 
reply  to  the  offer  I  asked  for  time  to  consider  it.  Later,  upon 
request,  I  went  to  New  York  for  a  conference  with  some  of 
the  largest  stockholders  of  the  company,  at  which  time  I  was 
again  pressed  to  accept  the  offer.  I  again  begged  for  more 


['56] 

time  and  said  that  I  'would  give  a  definite  answer  after  a 
rest  of  a  few  weeks.  I  went  to  Europe,  and,  upon  my  return 
the  latter  part  of  last  month,  gave  my  acceptance.  I  gave 
my  acceptance,  however,  on  the  condition  that  I  be  given  full 
power  in  the  local  management  of  the  road  and  be  empow- 
ered to  surround  myself  with  a  board  of  directors  in  whom 
both  myself  and  the  people  of  San  Francisco  would  have 
confidence. 

"When  the  proposal  was  made  and  the  agreement  reached 
on  my  own  terms,  I  saw  in  it  the  opportunity  to  do  a  great 
service  to  my  city.  It  is  my  ambition,  and  that  was  my  only 
inducement  in  accepting  the  presidency  of  the  United  Rail- 
roads, to  bring  the  public  and  the  company  into  more  cordial 
relationship. 

"/  am  a  very  busy  man  and  have  a  successful  practice 
which  it  is  not  my  intention  to  abandon.  1  also  am  much  in- 
terested in  charity  and  social  service  work,  all  of  which  is 
exacting  upon  my  time,  but  I  felt  that  I  would  like  to  make 
this  new  obligation  and  duty  relative  to  the  mutual  under- 
standing of  the  company  and  the  public  my  life  work.  I  feel 
that  it  is  a  chance  for  a  big  public  service;  possibly  I  may 
not  succeed,  but  that  will  be  my  ambition  and  my  effort. 

"I  have  tried  to  get  .all  the  light  possible  on  the  subject 
since  my  return  from  the  East  and  to  this  end  I  have  held 
conferences  with  a  number  of  men  who?n  I  think  the  public 
would  have  confidence  in  as  officials  of  the  road  and  who  at 
the  same  time  would  subserve  the  best  interest  of  the  stock- 
holders. 

"  The  United  Railroads  have  had  a  hard  time  during  the 


['57] 

last  five  or  six  years.  It  is  almost  enough  to  bring  the  tears 
to  your  eyes.  I  believe  that  they  are  still  laboring  under  the 
public  disapproval  incurred  by  the  old  management.  I  want 
to  exchange  that  feeling  for  public  confidence.  If  any  man 
in  San  Francisco,  I  do  nt  care  who  he  is,  has  occasion  to 
complain  of  my  management,  I  hope  he  will  let  me  know. 

"I  may,  and  probably  shall,  make  mistakes  of  judgment, 
but  I  will  not  make  mistakes  of  intention." 

Just  about  this  time  a  bond  issue  for  construction  of 
a  municipal  line  was  to  be  voted  upon,  and  owing  to  the 
great  unpopularity  of  the  United  Railroads  and  also  the 
desire  to  give  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition  the  best 
street  railway  facilities,  the  result  was  most  favorable  to 
the  municipal  line;  but  instead  of  feeling  antagonistic 
to  the  idea  of  a  rival  to  the  United  Railroads,  he  stated: 

"I  believe  that  yesterday' s  vote  clears  the  atmosphere.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  people  of  San  Francisco  will  now  be  in  a  frame 
of  mind  to  aft  justly  and  prudently. 

"When  the  proposal  was Jirst  made  to  me  to  take  this  work 
and  the  pending  bond  election  was  discussed,  I  expressed  my- 
self as  believing  that  if  private  capital  was  not  to  be  allowed 
to  build  more  street  railroads  in  San  Francisco  the  only  al- 
ternative was  for  the  city  to  build  them  itself. 

"I  shall  certainly  not  do  anything  to  place  any  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  the  city  selling  the  bonds  now  authorized.  I 
conceive  that  I  have  undertaken  the  management  of  a  street 
railroad  not  politics. 

"  Whatever  proposals  may  come  from  the  city  for  co-oper- 
ation in  the  operation  of  the  municipal  lines  and  the  United 


C'58] 

Railroads  I  shall  welcome,  and  as  far  as  the  financial  in- 
terests of  the  property  I  manage  will  permit,  I  will  accept. 

"  'This  applies  as  well  to  any  proposal  for  co-operation  in 
furnishing  transportation  to  the  Exposition  which  may  be 
presented  to  me. 

"As  attorney  for  the  Presidio  and  Ferries  Company  I  never 
found  that  the  city  authorities  were  unreasonable  in  their  at- 
titude toward  the  company.  My  new  position  will  oblige  me 
to  resign  from  the  Union  Street  road,  but  I  anticipate  the 
same  sort  of  frank  relationship  with  the  city  authorities  in 
my  new  position" 

"If  the  city  were  to  make  an  offer  today  to  buy  the  entire 
United  Railroads  system  I  would  we /come  it  gladly.  And 
if  it  were  found  possible  to  agree  on  a  valuation  I  would  do 
everything  in  my  power  to  promote  the  transaction. 

"But  I  believe  that  in  the  long  run  municipal  ownership 
must  be  weak  and  not  as  efficient  as  operation  by  private 
corporation  officers. 

"  If  a  proposition  were  to  be  made  to  me  for  co-operation 
between  the  city  and  the  company  in  furnishing  transporta- 
tion to  the  Exposition,  with  the  conditions  that  the  operation 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  the  company,  and  that  the  company 
should  assist  in  finding  a  buyer  for  the  bonds,  I  would  wel- 
come it  gladly  and  start  for  New  York  tomorrow  to  sell  the 
bonds." 

In  addition  to  the  competition  of  the  municipal  line, 
the  jitneys  were  in  full  force.  Thus  the  task  which  Mr. 
Lilienthal  was  undertaking  was  made  even  more  diffi- 
cult. 


['59] 

He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  President  August  28, 
1913.  To  support  Mr.  Lilienthal,  the  following  direc- 
tors were  chosen:  John  A.  Buck,  J .  C.  McKinstry ,  Albert 
H .  Payson,  Charles  N .  Black,  G.  B .  Willcut,  Washington 
Dodge,  A.  W.  Foster,  Henry  T.  Scott,  Leander  Sherman, 
and  B.  S.  Guinness. 

"  Primarily  I  knew  that  I  must  have  an  harmonious  board, 
made  up  of  my  friends  and  men  who  could  work  successfully 
together. 

"Beyond  this  were  two  considerations.  I  desired  men  who 
would  inspire  the  confidence  of  the  people  of  San  Francisco, 
and  I  had  to  have  men  who  were  skilled  in  corporate  of  airs 
and  were  not  novices  at  the  work." 

Much  speculation  was  aroused  over  the  possible  policy 
of  the  new  board,  and  immediately  following  the  elec- 
tion President  Lilienthal  issued  the  following  statement 
which  he  said  outlined  his  business  policy  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Road: 

"/  have  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  United  Railroads 
of  San  Francisco  only  because  of  my  ambition  to  improve  the 
relations  between  the  company  on  the  one  hand  and  the  public 
and  public  officials  on  the  other. 

"  T.  'he  people  may  be  assured  that  it  will  be  my  aim  strittly  to 
confine  the  activities  of  the  company  to  the  operation  of  street 
railroads  and  in  a  manner  that  will  gvefull  recognition  to 
the  duties  of  a  public  utility.  There  will  be  no  interference 
in  political  controversies,  and  if  any  attempt  shall  ever  be 
made  to  influence  public  opinion  it  will  be  done  openly  and 
in  the  name  of  the  company. 


[i6o] 

"  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with  those  who  favor  municipal 
ownership,  but  I  believe  that  if  such  ownership  should  obtain, 
the  actual  operation  of  the  properties  can,  with  the  greatest 
good  and  with  the  largest  profit  to  the  public,  be  best  entrusted 
to  private  management  under  proper  public  regulation. 

"I shall  always  be  ready  to  listen  to  any  grievance  either 
on  the  part  of  the  public,  or  of  any  citizens,  and  the  public 
may  be  assured  that  my  endeavor  will  be  to  operate  the  road 
in  such  a  way  as  to  give  to  the  people  of  San  Francisco  the 
most  efficient  service  practicable. 

"Finally,  I  cordially  invite  the  co-operation  of  all  good  citi- 
zens to  the  end  that  the  duties  imposed  upon  the  company  may 
be  adequately  performed." 

"I  have  been  busy  enough  getting  acquainted  with  the  staff. 
For  the  present  I  can  give  out  no  general  outlines  of  plans 
for  the  future,  because  as  yet  1  have  formed  none. 

"If  an  improvement  of  service  is  to  be  made  under  my 
management  it  can  not  be  made  all  of  a  sudden,  and  I  shall 
make  myself  thoroughly  acquainted  with  conditions  before 
laying  any  radical  proposition  before  the  board. 

"I  have  always  followed  a  policy  of  being  open  in  my  deal- 
ings, and  I  find  that  this  pays.  In  the  end  it  works  out  best 
to  tell  the  truth  because  you  have  to  tell  it  finally  anyway, 
and  I  am  going  to  continue  this  policy  in  the  conduct  of  the 
railway  service. 

"I  have  no  political  affiliations  or  ambitions.  I  am  not 

seeking  anything  except  to  do  something  for  San  Francisco. 

If  I  can  succeed  in  giving  the  city  a  good  car  service,  I  shall 

feel  that  I  have  done  well.  What  methods  are  followed,  no 


matter  how  radical,  even  to  final  municipal  ownership,  make 
no  difference  to  me.  The  good  service  is  my  object,  and  with 
proper  co-operation  from  all  concerned,  I  believe  that  I  shall 
succeed" 

To  redeem  his  promise  to  treat  the  public  with  every 
consideration,  he  established  a  Bureau  of  Grievances. 

"  I  desire  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  to  redeem  my  prom- 
ise that  the  United  Railroads  will  treat  the  public  with  the 
consideration  that  is  due  to  it.  The  people  are  entitled  to  have 
courteous  treatment  from  the  company  s  employees,  to  have 
clean  cars  to  ride  in, and  the  greatest  facilities  for  travel  that 
existing  conditions  will  permit. 

"  With  a  view  to  that  end,  I  am  establishing  a  bureau  of 
grievances,  and  I  earnestly  request  all  citizens  not  only  to 
communicate  to  that  bureau  at  the  company's  offices  all  specific 
instances  of  the  kind  in  question,  but  also  to  make  such  recom- 
mendations for  the  improvement  of  the  service  as  may  occur 
to  them.  I  promise  that  these  complaints  and  these  recom- 
mendations will  have  prompt  and  earnest  consideration" 

Not  until  some  time  after  Mr.  Lilienthal  had  become 
President  and  had  examined  the  affairs  of  the  Railroad, 
did  he  discover  the  unfortunate  financial  condition  of 
the  Road,  which  had  he  previously  known  would  have 
caused  his  absolute  refusal  of  the  Presidency.  A  less  brave 
and  more  selfish  man  would  have  forsaken  his  post  at 
once,  but  he  felt  that  would  be  cowardice.  It  was  a  built 
road  with  fine  prospects  which  with  proper  handling 
and  the  encouragement  of  the  public,  to  which  he  felt 
himself  entitled,  could  be  rehabilitated;  but  instead  of 


[i6a] 

receiving  the  assistance  of  those  in  power  he  was  hec- 
tored to  death. 

"  What  is  there  to  be  said?  The  facts  are  set  forth  in  the 
Railroad  Commission's  report,  and  they  speakfor  themselves. 
As  president  of  the  company,  I  am  in  a  delicate  position,  and 
I  do  not  feel  that  I  should  criticize  the  conduct  of  my  prede- 
cessor in  office. 

4-t/ 

"In  one  respect  I  fee  I  that  the  commission's  report  is  rather 
unfair  to  me,  though.  I  do  not  think  that  it  should  be  made 
to  appear  that  since  I  have  been  president  of  this  company 
any  attempt  whatever  has  been  made  to  cover  up  the  finan- 
cial transactions  which  occurred  previously. 

"As  soon  as  I  took  office  I  announced  that  in  the  future 
the  United  Railroads  would  confine  its  attention  strictly  to 
the  operation  of  street  railways.  In  the  balance  sheet  which 
I  submitted  to  the  Railroad  Commission  the  entry  of  Mr. 
Calhoun  s  note  appeared  plainly.  There  was  absolutely  no 
intention  or  attempt  to  *  cover  up'  this  transaction,  so  far 
as  I  am  concerned.  When  I  came  into  office  I  discovered 

*JJ 

what  had  been  done  —  that  the  money  was  gone  —  but  there 
was  nothing  I  could  do  except  to  charge  it  up  to  profit  and 
loss. 

"  We  have  Mr.  Calhoun' s  note  for  the  full  amount.  I  do 
not  know  what  it  is  worth.  I  have  appraised  it  at  $1.  It 
surely  cannot  be  worth  less. 

"My  position,  as  can  be  easily  seen,  was  a  very  delicate 
one.  I  came  in  here  with  the  purpose  of  building  up  the  credit 
of  the  company.  I  certainly  could  not  afford  to  court  public- 
ity on  such  a  state  of  affairs  as  I  found.  There  was  nothing 


['63] 

/  could  do  except  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation,  and  pro- 
ceed to  do  what  I  could  to  improve  the  company  s  status. 

"As  soon  as  I  took  office  the  old  board  of  directors  'was  re- 
organized. In  place  of  men  who  were  on  the  payroll  of  the 
company  I  appointed  business  men  of  standing  who  had  no 
other  connexion  with  the  corporation.  I  have  attempted  to 
co-operate  in  every  way  with  the  State  Railroad  Commission. 
I  was  one  of  the  men  who  helped  draft  the  public  utilities 
aft,  and  I  believe  in  it  thoroughly." 

The  animus  was  not  only  against  the  past  president  but 
also  against  the  Eastern  stockholders.  The  critics  forgot 
entirely  that  in  lifting  the  Road  out  of  the  wretched  con- 
dition in  which  Mr.  Lilienthal  found  it  he  was  trying 
to  benefit  many  people  who  had  invested  their  savings, 
both  those  who  could  well  and  many  who  could  ill  af- 
ford the  loss  encountered.  This  was  the  Herculean  task 
which  he  had  assumed.  Why  not  let  the  dead  past  bury 
its  dead?  A  new  man  had  taken  the  head.  A  new  man 
was  trying  to  raise  the  phcenix  out  of  its  ashes.  How  was 
he  assisted? — a  combination  of  political  conditions  and 
labor  unions  placing  stumbling  blocks  before  his  every 
step;  a  prejudiced  Railroad  Commission,  unwilling  to 
listen  to  reason,always  thinking  of  what  theUnited  Rail- 
roads had  been  and  never  trying  to  assist  in  the  build- 
ing up  of  a  Road  with  great  possibilities ;  the  newspapers- 
unscrupulous  to  a  degree — with  one  or  two  exceptions — 
those  sufficiently  independent  to  be  willing  to  face  and 
speak  the  truth  — doing  all  in  their  power  to  excite  an 
already  perhaps  rightfully  disgusted  public. 


[i64] 

Mr.  Lilienthal  considered  his  men  ahead  of  the  stock 
and  bondholders  of  the  Road,  even  to  the  extent  of  with- 
holding the  dividends  in  order  to  improve  the  Road  and 
assist  hisemployees.Hehad  voluntarily  raised  their  wages 
several  times,  and  in  fa6t  many  employees  who  had  been 
long  in  the  employ  of  the  Road  were  receiving  higher 
wages  than  those  of  the  municipal  line. 

He  inaugurated  life  insurance  for  all  men,  irrespective 
of  their  physical  condition  and  free  of  all  expense  for  pre- 
miums; created  a  fund  to  protect  the  employees  from 
loan  sharks,  concerning  which  he  says: 

"I  am  free  to  give  the  underlying  reasons  which  have 
prompted  the  company  to  test  the  plan.  1  believe  it  is  a  wise 
and  proper  thing  to  do,  because  I  do  not  believe  that  any  cor- 
poration gets  the  best  of  service  from  employees  u'ho  are  wor- 
ried or  bothered  about  financial  matters. 

"Any  man  who  is  working  steadily  for  a  fair  rate  of  re- 
muneration should  have  some  place  to  go  when  he  needs  an 
accommodation.  Irecognize  that  at  the  present  time  the  salary 
loa?i  man  is  about  the  only  source  of  money  for  many  worthy 
men.  The  banks  will  not  loan  to  these  people  and  )n  any  of  them 
have  no  direction  in  which  to  turn.  Tet  they  are  honest  and 
in  many  instances,  due  to  illness  and  other  good  reasons,  their 
need  for  accommodation  is  great. 

"  There  is  no  reason  why  such  people  should  pay  exorbitant 
rates  of  interest.  Surely  character  is  an  asset. 

"  The  United  Railroads  will  have  a  department  to  which 
its  employees  who  are  needing  money  may  turn.  If  the  record 
of  the  applicant  is  good,  if  the  requirement  is  a  legitimate  one, 


I  [165] 

there  will  be  no  necessity  for  this  employee  to  go  further  for 
money i  because  it  will  be  supplied. 

"The  mode  of  repayment  will  be  easy  and  plenty  of  time 
will  be  allowed.  In  other  words ,  the  aim  of  this  department 
will  be  to  meet  a  demand  that  I  am  sure  exists  among  sala- 
ried people  everywhere. 

"  I  am  just  enough  of  a  believer  in  human  nature  to  think 
that  with  this  department  in  operation  we  will  build  closer 
relations  with  the  employees  and  that  any  money  which  may 
come  from  this  fund  will  be  regarded  as  a  debt  of  honor  by 
every  employee  who  makes  use  of  this  avenue  for  securing  a 
loan  in  times  of  stress. 

"If  the  plan  of  the  United  Railroads  prove  a  success  I 
should  like  to  see  other  corporations  adopt  the  same  course,  for 
I  am  informed  that  corporation  employees  are  considered  as 
especially  good  risks  by  the  salary  loan  concerns.'' 

He  published  a  magazine  to  enable  the  men  to  dis- 
cuss freely  their  problems  and  wants.  In  the  editorial  of 
the  first  issue,  he  writes: 

"  Tour  president  meant  just  what  he  said  in  his  bulletin 
of  March  so,  1914*  We  are  in  the  same  boat.  He  is  an 
employee  of  the  United  Railroads  just  as  you  are.  He  wants 
to  get  personally  acquainted  with  you  and  your  families.  He 
wants  to  be  judged  by  the  same  standards  by  which  you  are 
judged. 

"He  wishes  that  he  could  meet  you  all  frequently  in  per- 
son ,  so  that  we  might  counsel  together  for  our  mutual  welfare 
and  that  of  the  public  and  of  the  company.  But  with  thirty- 
Jive  hundred  employees  that  is  impossible.  lam  only  too  willing 


['66] 

to  come  to  your  balls  and  to  your  recreation  rooms ,  but  there 
is  not  enough  of  that. 

"  For  that  reason  and  in  order  to  furnish  a  means  of  com- 
municating 'with  each  other,  and  getting  at  each  other,  we 
have  established  this  magazine.  Each  one  of  you  will  re- 
ceive a  copy  and  each  one  of  you  is  earnestly  requested  from 
time  to  time  to  contribute  something  to  its  pages  that  you  think 
will  interest  your  fellow  employees. 

"Anything  will  be  welcome  that  will  tend  to  make  us  better 
acquainted  with  each  other. 

"  ¥  his  first  effort  is  but  a  suggestion  of  the  possibilities  in 
this  field.  We  solicit  criticism  both  favorable  and  unfavor- 
able. If  you  think  of  other  departments  that  should  be  added, 
tell  us  about  them;  if  some  of  the  established  departments  are 
superfluous  we  should  be  glad  to  hear  of  it.  Only  the  best  can 
be  obtained  by  the  elimination  of  the  undesirable,  so  let  us  have 
your  opinion. 

"  We  have  taken  our  first  dive  into  the  sea  of  journalistic 
endeavor  and  the  sun  spots  indicate  a  fair  passage.  How- 
ever, sink  or  swim,  it  is  up  to  you  to  put  us  in  the  lead,  so 
get  busy  and  contribute" 

He  encouraged  all  kinds  of  recreation: 

"/  have  asked  the  editor  of  this  magazine  to  devote  him- 
self especially  to  developing  recreation  features — anything 
that  will  relieve  the  drudgery  of  life.  Baseball,  boxing,  bil- 
liards, band  music,  dances,  talks,  gymnastics  —  all  of  these 
things,  in  my  opinion,  should  be  encouraged  and  developed. 
To  the  extent  that  the  men  prefer  to  provide  these  things  for 
themselves,  they  should  of  course  not  be  interfered  with.  But 


I  [167] 

if  any  financial  assistance  from  the  company  to  further  these 
objects  should  be  desired  it  would  be  forthcoming,  and,  as  one 
of  you,  I  should  welcome  the  right  to  participate  with  you 
in  all  of  these  diversions" 

He  gave  private  advice  to  the  men,  who  were  always 
welcome.  His  door  was  open  to  them  and  they  took  ad- 
vantage of  his  offer  by  going  to  him  with  their  personal 
affairs. 

The  majority  of  the  men  were  most  appreciative,  hap- 
py, and  contented. 

"  Editor  Daily  News:  Replying  to  '  Union  Motormanj  I 
wish  to  say  that  I  have  been  in  the  employ  of  the  United  Rail- 
way Co.  as  a  conductor  for  the  past  seven  years,  and  have 
always  found  the  officers  of  the  concern  fair  in  every  respect. 
In  fact,  lean  cite  numerous  cases  where  employees  have  been 
to  see  the  general  superintendent  (in  Eastern  cities  you  might 
as  well  try  to  see  the  Czar  of  Russia),  and  been  reinstated 
for  various  offenses. 

"As  for  the  president  of  this  concern,  if  all  men  had  the 
goodness  of  heart  that  Mr.  Lilienthal  possesses  this  would  be 
one  grand  world  to  labor  in.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing 
Mr.  Lilienthal  leading  the  grand  march  at  a  ball  given  by 
carmen,  and  have  never  seen  or  heard  of  one  holding  a  similar 
position  over  a  corporation  of  this  kind  doing  likewise. 

"I  presume  one  who  is  pessimistic  as  you,  will  say  that  he 
had  reasons.  What  reasons?  Can  you  name  any  large  city, 
of  half  a  million  or  over,  that  pays  a  higher  maximum  rate 
of  wages'?  This  is  unskilled  labor,  yet  the  run  which  I  operate 
pays  me  a  salary  of$2$.I$  per  week.  I  am  acquainted  with 


[i68] 

numerous  so-called  $5  per  day  skilled  mechanics,  who  are 
only  partially  employed,  that  I  am  able  to  loan  money  to  at 
the  end  of  the  year. 

"  As  for  swing  runs ;  I never  saw  so  few  in  a  city  of  this 
size.  Anyone  taking  up  street  railwaying  for  a  livelihood 
who  cannot  work  for  the  United  Railroads  had  better  change 
his  vocation.  "A  Contented  Conductor" 

But  the  more  contented  the  men,  the  more  the  Union 
Labor  leaders  were  rankled.  They  scoffed  at  welfare 
work,  hammering  away  their  hardest  and  inciting  the 
men  to  revolt,  particularly  those  too  weak  to  reason  for 
themselves. 

The  great  bone  of  contention  was  the  non-unionizing 
of  the  men,  and  almost  from  the  very  beginning  there 
was  trouble.  Mr.  Lilienthal  realized  that  the  financial 
condition  of  the  Road  would  not  permit  of  the  ever- 
changing  demands  of  the  labor  leaders. 

In  1915  when  the  Exposition  was  in  full  blast,  the  ag- 
itators considered  the  time  propitious  for  a  strike  and 
did  everything  within  their  power  to  cause  one.  Neither 
the  public  nor  the  men  were  to  be  considered  so  long 
as  the  Unions  gained  their  point,  but  fortunately  they 
were  frustrated  in  their  efforts  and  the  strike  was  averted. 

"From  an  article  in  one  of  our  San  Francisco  dailies  we 
learn  that  the  employees  of  the  ^United  Railroads  have  signed 
an  agreement  not  to  strike  during  this,  the  Exposition  year. 

"  7 'his  is  certainly  a  wise  decision,  and  reflects  credit  on 
the  wisdom  and  sagacity  of  the  street  railroad  men. 

"And  in  this  connection  we  would  venture  the  assertion 


[i69] 

that  if  the  men  were  left  alone  and  not  interfered  with  by 
agitators  from  other  parts  of  the  country  there  would  never 
have  been  any  concerted  effort  in  the  direction  of  a  strike  at 
this  time.  With  such  a  man  as  Jesse  W.  Lilienthal  at  the 
head  of  the  United  Railroads  there  never  should  be  a  strike, 
and  if  there  is,  we  believe  the  fault  will  not  lie  with  him. 

"  Strikes  are  bad  at  any  time,  and  like  war  between  nations 
should  be  avoided  when  possible. 

"We  want  no  strike  of  any  kind  in  San  Francisco." 

Mr.  Lilienthal  sent  to  the  Fresno  Republican  the  follow- 
ing letter: 

"  San  Francisco,  May  5,  /^/f. 

"  Editor  Republican :  I  am  smarting  under  the  criticism 
contained  in  your  editorial  of  the  2nd  inst.,  because,  for  one 
thing,  I  covet  the  good  will  of  such  a  newspaper  as  yours, 
and,  secondly,  because  I  do  not  think  that  I  deserve  it. 

"  Unless  the  memorials  and  communications  that  I  have 
been  getting  from  the  platform  men  of  the  United  Railroads 
involve  the  rankest  hypocrisy,  the  men  are  'satisfied?  with  the 
conditions  of  their  employment. 

"  Through  conditions  over  which  I  have  no  control,  I  am 
placed  in  an  incongruous  position.  I  have  always  recognized, 
and  do  now  recognize, the  right  of  employes  to  organize, but  in 
this  particular  instance  organization  would  inevitably  mean 
a  demand  for  the  same  wages  and  hours  on  the  United  Rail- 
roads that  are  granted  by  the  municipal  lines,  and  the  only 
reason  why  I  do  not  concede  those  conditions  is  that  the  finan- 
cial position  of  the  United  Railroads  does  not  permit  of  it. 

"I  must  assume  that  if  a  union  makes  demands  that  are 


[  '70] 

rejected,  a  strike  would  follow.  Indeed,  this  was  substan- 
tially conceded  by  the  committee  of  supervisors  with  whom  I 
conferred  on  the  subject.  I  know  that  a  strike  would  be  a 
calamity  for  the  company,  and  I  think  that  it  would  be  for 
the  public  and  the  men. 

"  While  I  do  not  ask  you  to  publish  this,  I  would  be  glad 
to  have  you  do  so,  although  really  my  only  purpose  in  writ- 
ing it  is  to  endeavor  to  set  myself  right  with  you. 
"  Tours  very  truly, 

W.  Lilienthal,  President." 


THE  LARGER  ASPECTS  OF  WELFARE  WORK. 

In  October,  1  9  1  5,  the  following  address  was  delivered 
by  Mr.  Lilienthal  before  the  American  Railway  Associ- 
ation: 

"  *T/ie  subject  of  this  address  may  have  been  meant  to  have 
reference  to  what  an  employer  does  for  his  employees  or  to 
what  the  utility  does  for  the  public  at  large,  or  both.  It  will 
be  assumed,  however,  that  welfare  work  for  any  is  for  the 
welfare  of  all. 

11  Public  welfare  is  a  varying  quantity  and  very  often  an 
elusive  quantity.  For  one  thing,  public  welfare  may  mean 
what  is  actually  for  the  public  weal  or  it  may  mean  what 
the  public  believes  to  be  for  its  own  welfare.  And  it  may 
mean  one  thing  at  one  time  and  another  thing  at  another  time, 
or  one  thing  in  one  place  and  another  thing  at  a  dijferent 
place.  So  it  may  be,  as  it  has  now  become  the  fashion  to  pro- 
claim, that  what  is  best  for  the  public  is  best  for  the  util- 
ity. Tet  even  with  this  conceded,we  shall  still  Jind  ourselves 


always  brought  back  to  the  question  of  what  is  really  best 

for  the  public.  It  sounds  Machiavellian  to  declare  that  for 

all  practical  purposes  that  should  be  assumed  to  be  for  the 

public '/  greatest  good  which  for  the  moment  it  deems  to  be 

for  its  greatest  good. 

"In  the  man  of  conscience  the  feeling  is  strong  that  he 
wishes  to  guide  the  people  into  the  right  path;  that  it  is  not 
necessary  that  they  must  Jirst  stumble  and  fall  and  bruise 
themselves  before  they  canjind  the  right  path.  We  are  not 
all  agreed  as  to  this,  and  yet  it  is  a  very  practical  question 
that  those  charged  with  the  duty  of  managing  public  utili- 
ties ought  to  endeavor  to  solve  correcJly,  because  on  its  cor- 
rect solution  depends  the  success  of  our  management  and  the 
right  standing  before  the  bar  of  public  opinion.  We  certainly 
cannot  succeed  with  the  public  if  it  has  in  its  mind  any  ques- 
tion in  regard  to  our  absolute  good  faith,  whatever  the  merit 
or  lack  of  'it ',  in  the  things  that  we  offer. 

"One  of  the  things  making  up  the  so-called  public  welfare 
program  of  the  United  Railroads  of  San  Francisco  was  the 
establishment  of  a  monthly  magazine  distributed  to  each  of  its 
3,5OO  employees,  as  a  means  of  communication  between  the 
men  and  the  company.  I  contribute  in  each  number  a  short 
talk  to  the  men  over  my  signature  as  president.  A  little  while 
ago  I  received  a  very  bright, well-written  letter  from  the  wife 
of  a  motorman,  saying,  among  other  things,  that  she  judged 
from  my  articles  I  often  felt  'lonesome!  I  have  been  taking 
a  long  time  to  weigh  that  statement.  I  may  not  yet  have  caught 
her  meaning.  Was  it  that,  notwithstanding  the  earnest  effort 
made  to  propitiate  the  public,  it  had  turned  the  cold  shoulder? 


[  '72  ] 

And  yet  we  have  been  doing  those  things  'which  'were  intrin- 
sically right  under  every  code  of  morals  and  'which  also  ap- 
peared to  be  the  things  demanded  by  the  existing  state  of 
public  sentiment. 

"A  brilliant  journalist,  who  had  read  one  of  these  mes- 
sages to  the  men  in  'which  I  asked  why  we  had  apparently 
not  overcome  the  popular  ill-will  toward  us,  recently  said  that 
I  was  striking  a  false  note.  I  was  told  that  I  should  not  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  the  company,  whether  willingly  or  un- 
willingly, was  a  prize  participant  in  a  rising  economic  bat- 
tle, and  that  armed  peace  was  the  best  we  could  hope  for. 
Furthermore,  the  only  way  to  make  popular  what  was  un- 
doubtedly an  unpopular  corporation  was  to  grant  to  employees 
all  that  they  wanted  and  whenever  they  wanted  it;  to  do  the 
same  thing  for  the  city  for  the  benejit  of  its  competing  mu- 
nicipal lines;  to  surrender  to  the  jitney  for  love  of  the  little 
fellow ;  to  extend  service  whenever  asked  for;  to  equip  and 
operate  lines  regardless  of  expense  and  to  reduce  fares  to  the 
Cleveland  basis. 

"  I  am  still  smarting  under  that  criticism.  'This  doing  your 
duty  by  the  public  costs  money,  and  if  it  breed  resentment 
rather  than  good-will,  or  even  if  it  only  fail  to  eliminate  exist- 
ing ill-will, would  not  the  expense  better  be  withheld?  I  do  not 
forget  the  exceptional  circumstances  under  which  our  partic- 
ular utility  is  operating.  We  have  a  successful  and  grow- 
ing municipally  owned  and  operated  system,  all  of  it  com- 
petitive to  our  own,  and  consequently  our  company  is  con- 
stantly a  thorn  in  the  city  s  side.  The  municipal  lines  pay 
wages  and  provide  conditions  that  we  cannot  afford,  and  this 


[  '73  ] 

makes  it  necessary  for  us  to  take  the  ordinary  indefensible 
position  of  preventing,  while  we  can,  the  organization  of  our 
men.  This  in  turn  makes  us  anathema  with  organized  labor 
and  its  sympathizers.  Then,  too,  the  public  accepts  it  as 
an  undoubted  fact  that  we  have  secured  valuable  franchises 
through  the  bribery  of  public  officials,  and  the  press  does  not 
allow  it  to  forget  that  the  so-called  graft  prosecution  failed 
to  secure  more  than  one  conviction. 

"WELFARE  PLATFORM  OF  COMPANY. 

"  /  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  United  Railroads  of  San 
Francisco  only  because  I  thought  that  I  saw  an  opportunity 
to  render  public  service.  I  meant  to  start  right  with  the  pub- 
lic, and  to  that  end  began  my  administration  with  a  formal 
statement — a  sort  of  confession  of  faith — in  which  1  acknowl- 
edged it  to  be  the  primary  duty  of  a  public  utility  to  serve  the 
public  adequately  and  considerately.  I  pledged  the  company 
to  keep  scrupulously  out  of  politics  and  promised  that, if  an 
attempt  were  ever  made  to  influence  public  opinion,  it  would 
be  done  openly  and  in  the  name  of  the  company.  I  declared 
it  as  my  only  motive  for  taking  office  that  I  was  ambitious  to 
improve  the  relations  between  the  people  and  the  company,  and 
invited  the  frankest  criticism  and  the  most  cordial  co-opera- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  public  to  that  end.  Finally,  in  recogni- 
tion of  the  strong  sentiment  in  favor  of  municipal  ownership 
that  had  been  manifested  in  a  recent  election  held  to  provide 
money  for  the  extension  of  the  city  lines, I  declared  that  I  had 
no  fault  to  find  with  the  advocates  of  municipal  ownership 
even  of  street  car  lines,  but  believed  that  if  such  ownership 


['74] 

should  obtain  Jhe  properties  themselves  could  be  operated 'with 
the  greatest  good  and  with  the  largest  projit  to  the  public  if 
intrusted  to  private  management  under  public  regulation. 

"TREATMENT  OF  EMPLOYEES. 

"  Then,  with  the  desire  to  treat  the  employees  as  generously 
as  the  revenues  of  the  company  would  permit  and  at  least  as 
well  as  they  would  be  treated  by  impartial  arbitrators  (in 
the  case  of  an  organization  formed,  demands  made  and  re- 
fused, and  a  strike  threatened),  we  voluntarily  granted  a  sub- 
stantial increase  of  wages.  We  devised  a  plan  for  insuring 
the  lives  of  all  employees  for  a  period  of  three  years  and  up- 
ward, without  any  physical  examination  on  behalf  of  the 
insurance  company  and  without  any  cost  to  the  men  for  pre- 
miums or  otherwise,  the  families  of  the  three-year  men  re- 
ceiving $250  in  case  of  death  in  the  service,  of  the  four-year 
men  $500,  and  of  those  having  served  jive  years  or  upward 
$I,OOO.  Each  employee  was  allowed  to  selecJ  his  own  bene- 
jiciary  arbitrarily.  This  insurance  meant  giving  to  the  men 
something  that  many  of  them,  quite  apart  from  the  expense 
of  insurance,  could  not  give  themselves.  The  man  with  tuber- 
culosis, with  cancer,  with  Bright' s  disease  or  with  a  weak 
heart  was  insured  along  with  those  who  were  organically 
sound.  This  was  better  than  a  wage  increase,  for  there  was 
no  assurance  that  any  of  the  latter  would  be  husbanded. 

"  Then,  realizing  as  a  paramount  duty  that  as  far  as  pos- 
sible we  must  stop  killing  and  maiming  people  and  that  to 
accomplish  this  we  must  depend  on  the  vigilance,  the  loyalty 
and  the  intelligence  of  the  platform  men,  we  said  that,  tak- 


I  [175] 

ing  the  sum  paid  in  the  previous  year  by  'way  of  damages  for 
injury  to  persons  or  property  as  a  basis,  we  proposed  to  give 
the  entire  amount  that  might  be  saved  over  this  sum  in  suc- 
ceeding years  to  these  platform  men  in  the  exact  proportion 
represented  by  the  time  contributed  to  the  service. 

"Finally,  it  appeared  upon  investigation  that  many  of  our 
employees  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  loan  sharks  and  were 
paying  as  high  as  ten  per  cent  a  month  for  loans.  Many  of 
these  men  had  the  best  of  records,  with  excellent  characters, 
but  through  stress  of  outside  claims,  sickness  in  the  family, 
Jinancial  distress  and  the  like,  had  found  their  wages  inade- 
quate for  meeting  abnormal  conditions  and  had  nothing  to  take 
to  the  pawnbroker  or  remedial  loan  association  as  collateral. 
We  said  to  such  men:  'We  will  lend  you  the  money  that  you 
need,  without  any  security,  taking  from  you  simply  your  own 
promissory  notes,  payable  in  such  installments  as  you  may 
yourselves  determine  to  be  practicable  in  view  of  other  de- 
mands upon  you,  and  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  Jive  per 
cent  per  annum.*  Our  files  are  now  full  of  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments for  this  aid,  testifying  eloquently  to  the  good  accom- 
plished. 

"RESPONSE  OF  THE  PUBLIC. 

"  When  this  program  was  announced  we  felt  that  the  new 
management  was  keeping  faith  and  looked  for  grateful  re- 
sponse on  the  part  of  the  public.  'There  was  a  great  deal  of 
commendation,  to  be  sure,  but  I  am  not  certain  that  the  true 
sentiment  of  the  people  at  large  was  not  voiced  by  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  local  newspaper,  which  said  editorially 


['76] 

in  double-leaded  type:  tCThe  street  car  'workers  are  men;  they 
are  not  children  to  be  coddled.  President  Lilienthal  and  his  di- 
rectorate should  have  heard  what  Lincoln  Steffens  and  Austin 
Lewis  told  the  New  Era  Club  about  welfare  work  the  other 
day.'  Welfare  work!  'The  United  Railroads  might  as  well 
save  its  time  and  money.  '  The  only  way  to  help  labor,'  said 
Lincoln  Steffens,  'is  to  help  labor  to  help  itself. '  In  other  words, 
employees  want  nothing  from  employers  that  they  do  not  de- 
mand and  demand  in  a  position  where  they  can  enforce  their 
demands. 

"I  have  always  believed  in  labor  unions.  Perhaps  I  do  not 
believe  in  them  so  much  as  formerly.  It  is,  of  course,  an  in- 
defensible position  to  maintain  that  employees  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  organize.  Even  advocates  of  the  open  shop  stop 
short  of  that.  Yet  in  San  Francisco  we  are  confronted  by  a 
condition  and  not  a  theory.  Organization  of  the  company 's 
employees  would  mean  inevitably  and  logically  a  demand  for 
the  same  wages,  hours  and  other  conditions  that  are  conceded 
by  the  municipal  lines,  under  the  terms  of  the  city  charter, 
to  men  working  on  a  track  literally  alongside  of  our  own.  A 
demand  would  mean  a  refusal,  because  the  company  cannot 
concede  the  demand,  and  a  refusal  would  me  an  a  strike,  which 
would  be  a  calamity  for  the  company,  the  public  and  the  men. 
We  have,  therefore,  been  placed  in  the  incongruous  position 
of  having  to  discharge  men  whose  only  fault  may  have  con- 
sisted of  joining  the  union,  because  the  alternative  was  in- 
evitable disaster. 

"  //  does  not  seem  to  be  enough  to  be  good 364.  days  in  the 
year.  Tou  must  be  good  the  whole  365  days,  and  to  be  good 


I  C  '77  ] 

you  must  do  the  things  that  the  public  'wants  you  to  do  and 
refrain  from  doing  those  things  to  'which  it  objects.  We  have 
tried \  in  the  interest  of  peace  and  good  feeling,  to  meet  this  view, 
too.  At  the  outset  of  my  administration  I  said  that  I  'would 
always  grant  to  the  city  anything  that  it  wished,  but  that  I 
had  no  right  to  forget  that,  just  as  officials  of  the  city  were 
trustees  of  the  people,  I  was  a  trustee  for  the  creditors  and  stock- 
holders of  the  company  and  therefore  must  e  xatt  a  reasonable 
equivalent  for  any  property  rights  surrendered.  Yet  we  dis- 
covered in  a  recent  experience  that  we  had  been  sowing  the 
wind.  Such  an  equivalent  for  a  right  proposed  to  be  surren- 
dered was  recently  asked  by  the  company  and  promptly  con- 
ceded by  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  Their  ordinance  carrying 
out  the  terms  of  the  agreement,  however,  was  vetoed  by  the 
Mayor,  a  majority  but  not  a  sufficient  number  of  the  super- 
visors voting  to  override  the  veto.  The  right  in  question  was 
therefore  exercised  by  the  city  without  giving  the  equivalent. 
Upon  an  appeal  to  the  courts  the  company's  mot  ion  for  an  in- 
junction to  restrain  the  exercise  of  the  right  was  granted.  Un- 
fortunately, however,  this  has  proved  to  be  a  case  of  being  good 
only  364  days  in  the  year,  and  apparently  in  consequence  of 
our  legal  victory  the  company  is  once  more  under  the  ban  of 
excommunication.  The  injunction,  at  this  time  of  writing,  is 
being  violated,  and  boastingly  violated,  forcing  the  company 
to  contempt  proceedings. 

'•''What  moral  shall  we  deduce  from  all  this?  What  is  the 
public  welfare?  And  what  should  be  the  course  of  conduct 
of  a  public  utility  ?  It  is,  of  course,  axiomatic  that  in  things 
done  or  omitted  the  presumption  is  in  favor  of  a  popular  pub- 


[i78] 

lie  utility,  assuming  that  any  such  exists,  and  against  the  un- 
popular public  utility.  When  the  latter  takes  a  step  forward 
in  a  matter  that  should  'win  popular  approval,  it  is  likely  to 
be  charged  with  moving  from  fear  and  not  from  public  spirit 
or  the  desire  for  public  welfare.  Yet  is  that  a  reason  for  not 
making  the  effort  to  propitiate  the  public  —  shall  we  refrain 
from  taking  this  step  forward  because  our  motive  in  so  doing 
may  be  impugned? 

"CoDE  OF  COMMANDMENTS. 

"/  have  laid  down  for  myself  the  following  code  of  com- 
mandments to  govern  my  management: 

"/.  Accept  loyally  and  without  reservation  the  now  uni- 
versally proclaimed  doftrine  that  a  public  utility  is  the  ser- 
vant of  the  people.  'The  courts  of  last  resort  have  so  declared, 
and  the  public  utilities  have  bowed  their  heads  in  meek  sub- 
mission. Whatever  the  resources  or  lack  of  resources  of  the 
utility,  adequate  service  must  be  rendered.  The  requisite  capi- 
tal must  somehow  be  provided,  the  matter  of  adequate  return 
being  irrelevant,  except  in  the  sense  that  the  right  exists  to  ap- 
peal to  the  rate-making  bodies  to  provide  for  reasonable  com- 
pensation for  the  services  rendered.  Do  not  wait  until  pres- 
sure is  brought  to  compel  adequate  service.  Anticipate  the 
public  demand.  Keep  your  door  wide  open  to  every  complaint. 
Forestall  criticism  by  inviting  recommendations,  and  in  all 
close  cases  give  the  public  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 

"2.  Give  the  affairs  of  the  utility  the  widest  publicity.  The 
public  is  entitled  to  know  what  you  are  doing  and  how  you 
are  getting  on.  Conditions  may  be  unfavorable,  and  you  may 


I  ['79] 

fear  that  publicity  might  affett  your  credit,  but  you  should 
not  ask  for  credit  that  you  do  not  deserve,  and  perhaps  your 
misfortunes  when  frankly  told  may  beget  the  public  sympathy 
and  good-will  which  you  so  sorely  need.  Nothing  is  so  engag- 
ing as  complete  candor.  When  I  have  been  interviewed  by 
the  reporter  of  a  newspaper,  however  unfriendly,  I  have  an- 
swered every  question  direcJly  and  fully.  As  a  result  it  has 
happened  to  me  at  least  once  that  when  such  candor  has  not 
changed  the  tone  of  the  unfriendly  newspaper  the  reporter  has 
insisted  that  this  attitude  be  changed  or  that  someone  else  be 
assigned  to  his  task.  I  have  gone  to  men  who  have  assailed 
me  and  sought  to  explain  to  them  my  reasons  for  doing  the 
things  that  they  have  criticised.  This  has  sometimes  led  to  a 
change  of  front,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  at  least  one  newspaper 
editor,  to  a  statement  that  my  position  was  justified,  but  that 
his  newspaper  to  hold  its  circulation  must  continue  to  print 
the  news  to  please  patrons. 

"J.  Treat  your  employees  fairly  and,  as  far  as  your  re- 
sources will  permit,  generously.  The  man  who  is  well  fed  and 
wellc  lot  he  d, who  has  a  reasonable  amount  of  time  for  play  and 
recreation, who  is  in  a  position  to  save  a  lit  tie  for  a  rainy  day 
or  toward  the  owning  of  his  own  home, who  feels  that  his  supe- 
riors are  always  ready  to  receive  suggestions  or  to  redress  real 
or  imaginary  grievances,  who  is  not  exposed  to  nagging  and 
hectoring  by  officious  subaltern  officers, who  enjoys  the  right  of 
appeal,  who  is  made  to  feel  that  all  the  employees  of  the  com- 
pany, from  the  president  down,  are  members  of  one  family, 
each  having  the  same  paramount  duty  to  serve  the  public  and 
the  employer —  such  a  man  will  give  the  best  results. 


[i8o] 

"It  might  be  well  to  have  a  council,  composed  of  repre- 
sentatives of  the  men  and  the  chief  executive  officers  of  the 
company,  meet  once  a  month  to  consider  measures  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  service  and  the  increase  of  efficiency.  The 
representatives  of  the  men  should  be  selected  for  a  certain  pe- 
riod by  secret  ballot — say  one  from  each  car  house.  In  that 
way  the  most  popular  man  would  be  chosen  and  through  him 
all  the  employees  of  that  car  house  would  feel  that  they  had  a 
mouth-piece.  A  new  election  should  perhaps  be  held  every  six 
months  or  year.  This  pi  an  will  at  least  furnish  a  sort  of  safety 
valve  without  providing  much  of  a  nucleus, if  any, for  agita- 
tion or  organization. 

"4.  Keep  out  of  politics.  The  public  utility  is  the  target 
for  the  politician.  Those  who  are  not  venally  dishonest  have, 
at  least  in  recent  years,  found  that  attacks  made  upon  it  are 
the  short  cut  to  popularity.  Those  who  are  venal  have  found 
the  strike  bill  the  most  lucrative  source  of  revenue,  and  it  has 
seemed  necessary  to  go  into  politics  to  keep  such  men  out  of 
office.  Where  the  only  purpose  of  the  utility  in  so  doing  has  been 
to  eliminate  such  as  these,  the  motive  is,  of  course,  ethically 
justifiable.  But  all  know  to  what  abuses  this  has  led.  The  util- 
ity, to  accomplish  practical  results,  has  had  to  build  up  a  po- 
litical machine.  Having  through  this  machine  acquired  the 
power  to  defeat  injustice,  to  stifle  bad  bills  and  prevent  biased 
judgments,  it  is  tempted  to  use  this  power  for  affirmative  self- 
ish ends  and  the  temptation  generally  proves  irresistible.  Then 
the  people , feeling  themselves  throttled,  are  driven  to  rebel  and 
are  themselves  led  into  excesses  by  the  desire  for  revenge.  It 
is  from  these  excesses  that  we  are  now  suffering. 


['»'] 

alternative  remedy  involves  the  next  command- 
ment—  appeal  to  the  public  for  fairness  and  justice.  Deem 
it  your  right  and  duty  to  influence  public  opinion.  Complain 
of  the  wrongs  that  are  done  to  you.  Expose  the  methods  of 
corrupt  or  unfair  politicians.  Combat  the  arguments  of  muck- 
rakers  and  pseudo-reformers.  Never  allow  an  untrue  charge 
to  remain  unchallenged.  Circularize  the  public.  Buy  space 
in  the  newspapers.  Participate  in  public  discussions.  Above 
all9  however,  remember  that  whenever  you  do  anything  along 
these  lines  you  must  do  it  openly  and  in  the  name  of  the  com- 
pany. Do  not  hide  behind  reading  notices.  Do  not  have  paid 
agents  masquerading  as  independent  gladiators. 

"I  place  my  confidence  in  the  ultimate  good  sense  and  fair- 
ness of  the  people.  Our  salvation  must  be  worked  out  through 
them  because  after  all,  under  our  system  of  'government ,  the 
power  to  deal  with  us  rests  with  them,  and  we  shall  not  win 
our  battle  until  we  make  them  feel  that  we  are  doing  our  duty 
by  them.  We  must  be  politic  enough  to  recognize  our  masters 
and  public-spirited  enough  to  be  willing  to  make  every  effort 
to  deserve  the  good-will  of  the  people.  The  task  will  not  be  so 
difficult,  if,  as  we  should,  we  cultivate  a  frame  of  mind  that 
makes  this  a  labor  of  love" 

LABOR  AGITATION  AND  MUNICIPAL  COMPETITION. 

Again  in  July,  1916,  the  agitators  distributed  inciting 
circulars  through  jitney  bus  drivers  and  other  channels, 
announcing  that  a  strike  had  been  called  for  July  1 4th. 
The  United  Railroads  men  had  assured  Mr.  Lilienthal 
of  their  perfect  satisfaction  and  in  fact  wished  to  hold 


[i8a] 

a  mass  meeting  in  order  to  make  it  plain  how  thoroughly 
contented  they  were,  and  in  that  way  they  could  repu- 
diate all  connection  with  the  outside  agitators.  Mr.  Lil- 
ienthal  requested  them,  however,  to  abandon  that  idea 
for  fear  that  the  Company  might  be  charged  with  hav- 
ing suggested  the  meeting. 

The  platform  men,  however,  sent  Mr.  Lilienthal  the 
following  communication: 

"July  7,  igi6. 
"Jesse  W.  Lilienthal,  President  United  Railroads  of  San 

Francisco,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"Being  credibly  informed  that  paid  union  organizers  have 
of  late  been  actively  engaged  in  agitating  the  question  of  organ- 
ization among  the  employes  of  the  United  Railroads  of  San 
Francisco,  and  assuming  that  the  public  in  general  is  not  suf- 
ficiently, or  at  all,  informed  relative  to  the  merits  of  the  many 
claims  and  assertions  made  by  said  organizers  relative  there- 
to,we,  the  undersigned  employes  of  said  company  beg  herewith 
to  present  for  your  consideration  our  side  of  the  question  and  con- 
troversy, and  request  that  you  make  the  same  publicly  known 
to  the  people  of  San  Francisco,  by  any  method  or  means  that 
to  you  may  seem  proper  in  the  premises;  and  we  beg  to  state 
that  the  employes  of  said  corporation,  one  and  all,  consider  the 
labor  problem,  in  so  far  as  it  relates  to  our  said  employment, 
settled,  for  the  reasons  following, viz: 

"As  individuals,  we  are  privileged  to  approach  any  of  the 
officials  of  your  company  and  there  make  known  our  causes  of 
complaint  or  requests  if  any,  and  in  the  past  all  of  our  solid- 


tations  and  requests  have  received  due  and  just  consideration 
by  the  company.  And, further,  if  at  any  time,  we,  collectively, 
wish  to  make  our  desires  known  to  the  company,  we  can  easily 
do  so  by  and  through  a  very  efficient  and  satisfactory  organi- 
zation in  the  U.  R.  R.  Soda!  and  Athletic  Club,  which  in 
the  past  has  been  and  now  is  indorsed  and  supported  by  the 
officials  of  the  company. 

"In  dosing, we  wish  to  state  that  as  we  are  perfectly  satis- 
fed  with  all  and  singular  the  conditions  surrounding  our  said 
employment,  we  see  no  logical  reason  why  the  men  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  United  Railroads  of  San  Francisco  should  organ- 
ize-, and  further,  we  do  not  want  to  organize  any  such  union. 

"  Trusting  that  the  above  will  make  our  position  in  the 
premises  clear  and  that  you,  as  president  of  said  company, 
will  aft  in  accordance  with  this,  our  expressed  desire, we  beg 
to  remain.  "Tours  respectfully," 

[Signed  by  the  platform  men  of  the  United  Railroads\. 

The  Western  Banker  and  Financier  states: 

"  This  is  a  document  which  marks  a  new  era  in  the  solu- 
tion of  the  Labor  problem.'' 

And  continues: 

"  This  is  unique  in  the  f aft  that  it  is  thejirst  of  its  kind. 

"  This  is  forceful,  in  that  it  breathes  loyalty. 

"  This  is  convincing  in  its  matter-off  aft  statements. 

"  This  is  an  example  worthy  of  study  and  a  document  worthy 
of  preservation. 

"  This  is  encouraging  in  that  it  shows  that  Labor  is  open 
to  conviftion. 

"  This  is  pleasing  inasmuch  as  it  proves  that  one  big  body 


[i84] 

of  men  who  serve  the  public  and  come  into  daily  contact  with 
their  patrons  can  be  so  fairly  treated  that  they  are  satisfied. 

"  This  means  from  the  signers,  service  and  courtesy  and 
all  the  benefits  to  the  public  whichfollow  contentment,  loyalty, 
and  an  appreciation  of  fair  treatment" 

Notwithstanding  these  facts,  known  to  the  Unions,the 
agitators  during  the  rush  hour  of  the  evening  of  July  14, 
attempted  to  force  a  strike  by  having  municipal  cars 
thrown  across  the  United  Railroads  tracks  at  one  of  the 
busiest  points  of  the  line,  halting  traffic  in  all  directions 
and  giving  opportunity  for  strike  agitators,  including 
municipal  railroad  men,  to  make  appeals  to  the  platform 
men  of  the  United  Railroads,  but  the  attempt  failed  mis- 
erably. 

"  No  greater  complime  nt  co  uldbepa  idto  the  con  sistent' square 
deal'  policy  of  President  Lilienthal  of  the  United  Railroads 
than  that  of  the  loyal  and  steadfast  attitude  of  the  platform 
employees  in  the  company  who  were  unsuccessfully  threatened 
or  cajoled  by  union  labor  agitators  to  start  a  strike  on  the  car 
lines  of  that  company'.'' 

The  completion  of  Twin  Peaks  Tunnel  opened  up 
the  question  of  connecting  it  with  the  city  car  lines  on 
Market  Street.  There  were  three  methods  before  the 
Mayor  and  Supervisors  to  accomplish  this:  purchasing 
theUnited  Railroads,  co-operating  with  theUnited  Rail- 
roads, or  double-tracking  Market  Street. The  last  meant 
blanketing  Market  Street  with  car  tracks,  a  most  un- 
reasonable method  and  unjust  to  the  United  Railroads 
besides  being  a  menace  to  life  itself  with  automobiles 


i85 

rushing  up  and  down  in  addition  to  a  constant  stream 
of  street  cars.  The  merchants,  too,  seriously  objected, 
foreseeing  the  detriment  to  business.They  had  just  been 
released  from  the  jitney  danger  to  be  confronted  by  a 
worse  one. 

Mr.  Lilienthal  offered  a  number  of  propositions  to  en- 
courage co-operation  with  the  United  Railroads. 

"/  shall  approach  the  matter  from  every  possible  angle, 
with  the  hope  that  one  'will  appeal  to  the  supervisors.  I  be- 
lieve a  proposition  can  be  'worked  out  that  will  be  attractive 
to  the  public.  Of 'course ',  I am  not  empowered  to  sell  or  give 
away  other  people*  s  property.  But  I  promise  that  whatever 
influence  I  have  as  president  of  the  United  Railroads  will 
be  devoted  to  arriving  at  an  agreement  and  toward  the  ratifi- 
cation of  that  agreement  by  the  security  holders  of  my  com- 
pany." 

He  presented  his  plans  to  the  Mayor  and  Supervisors. 
In  a  letter  written  March  30, 1 9 1 7,  he  offers  the  use  of 
the  United  Railroads'  tracks  and  exchange  of  transfers, 
and  goes  on  to  say: 

"  With  this  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  company,  I  per- 
mit myself  to  say  that  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  warrant 
for  the  proposed  expenditure  of  city  moneys,  because  the  de- 
sired transportation  facilities  would  be  provided  for  without 
further  expenditure.  In  view  of  the  crying  need  of  many  dis- 
tricts in  the  city  for  transportation  facilities  which  the  com- 
pany under  existing  charter  conditions  is  not  able  to  provide, 
it  would  seem  that  any  city  moneys  that  may  be  available 
should  be  applied  to  providing  such  transportation  facilities 


[i86] 

rather  than  to  duplicating  exisiting  ones,  'with  the  economic 
'waste  that  'would  involve. 

"I  am  making  a  proposal,  at  great  financial  sacrifice  to 
the  company,  'which  should  in  my  opinion  be  acceptable  to  you 
in  the  interest  of  all  the  people,  but  if  any  modification  of  the 
same  is  desired  by  you  I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  your  further 
suggestions.  "Very  respectfully  yours, 

"Jesse  W.  Lilienthal, 

"President" 

The  City  Engineer,  Mr.  O'Shaughnessy,  inclined  to- 
ward the  offer  and  stated: 

"I  do  not  'want  to  commit  myself  until  I  have  studied  this 
letter,  but  it  appears  to  be  a  step  'which  'will  make  double 
tracks  to  the  Ferry  unnecessary.  I  feel,  however,  that  the  city 
is  committed  to  the  building  of  outer  tracks  on  Market  from 
Van  Ness  Avenue  to  Church  Street,  because  it  'was for  this 
that  the  people  voted  the  7^/J  Church  Street  bond  is  sue.  But 
we  shall  see  'whether  or  not  any  more  outer  tracks  at  all  'will 
be  built" 

Several  of  the  San  Francisco  daily  papers  commented 
on  Mr.  Lilienthal's  proposals  in  the  following  manner: 

"An  opportunity  has  been  presented  to  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors by  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Lilienthal,  President  of  the  United 
Railroads,  himself  a  loyal  citizen  of  San  Francisco,  by  which 
this  problem  may  be  settled  and  the  necessity  of  the  expend- 
iture of  funds  be  obviated.  Mr.  Lilienthal' s  proposition,  as 
stated  by  him  in  a  letter  to  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  is: 

"'That  the  company  rearrange  such  part  of  the  present 
Parkside  lines  as  may  be  necessary  to  furnish  the  best  ser- 


I  ['87j 

vice  to  the  Sunset  District,  and  make  connexions  from  these 
lines  to  the  tunnel  tracks. 

" '  That  the  company  pay  the  city  on  a  mileage  basis  for  the 
use  of  the  city's  tracks  thru  the  tunnel. 

"'That  there  be  established  between  the  city  and  the  com- 
pany a  universal  exchange  of  transfers  at  all  connecting 
points,  so  that  a  unified  system  of  transportation  may  be  fur- 
nished. 

" '  That  the  city  agrees  that  no  further  tracks  be  built  on 
Market  Street  and  that  the  city  will  operate  its  cars  over 
Market  Street  as  at  present,  except  for  that  portion  of  Market 
Street  from  Church  Street  to  Van  Ness  Avenue  forming  a 
part  of  the  Church  Street  line' 

"It  must  be  apparent  that  Mr.  Lilienthal' s proposal  is  es- 
sentially constructive.  It  offers  the  city  an  opportunity  to  se- 
cure the  service  thru  the  tunnel  that  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  the  proper  development  of  the  section  west  of  Twin  Peaks 
without  the  expenditure  of  any  money  and  at  the  same  time 
guarantee  to  the  people  of  the  city  a  unified  service  that  will 
afford  access  to  the  region  in  question  from  every  portion  of 
the  city  fora  single  fare.  Such  a  service  would  be  impossible 
over  any  combination  of  city  lines  without  the  expenditure  of 
vast  sums  for  new  construction  into  regions  already  adequately 
served  by  other  lines. 

"  The  proposition  of  the  president  of  the  United  Railroads 
is  along  the  lines  of  modern  relationship  between  urban  com- 
munities and  their  transportation  public  utilities.  That  rela- 
tion is  one  of  partnership.  In  practically  every  instance  where 
there  has  arisen  a  question  upon  the  resettlement  of  the f ran- 


[i88] 

chises,  expired  or  expiring,  of  existing  street  railroads,  that 
settlement  has  been  upon  a  basis  of  partnership.  Witness  the 
Detroit  settlement  and  the  Chicago  agreement  by  which  those 
municipalities  entered  into  partnership  with  their  transpor- 
tation companies  with  the  ultimate  intention  of  taking  them 
over  after  the  payment  of  an  agreed  valuation,  a  plan  that 
was  eminently  fair  to  all  holdings,  while  at  the  same  time  pro- 
viding for  maintenance  and  extensions  and  improvements  in 
service  during  the  period  of  transfer. 

"  San  Francisco  will  eventually  have  to '  resettle '  the  fran- 
chises of  the  United  Railroads;  the  proposition  off  ere  d  by  Presi- 
dent Lilienthal  is  a  step  in  that  direction  and  those  in  authority 
should  consider  it  very  carefully  and  with  a  view  to  accept- 
ing it.  To  do  otherwise  would  be  to  tacitly  express  their  in- 
tention to  throttle  the  United  Railroads  by  blanketing  it  in 
the  most  profitable  section  of  its  franchise  territory,  middle 
Market  Street. 

"The  Recorder,  which  has  contended  for  municipal  owner- 
ship oftransportationfacilities  ever  since  itwasjirst  proposed, 
does  not  believe  that  the  true  spirit  of  municipal  owner  ship  or 
of  the  people  of  San  Francisco  is  evidenced  by  such  an  attitude. 

"Municipal  owner  ship,  in  essence, represents  the  ultimate 

passing  of  all  privately  owned  street  railroad  lines  into  the 

ownership  and  control  of  the  public  upon  the  expiration  of  the 

franchises  or  by  mutual  agreement  between  the  parties  for  the 

transfer  of  possession  upon  the  payment  of  an  agreed  price  for 

the  company  s  equities  in  the  property.  It  may  also  take  the 

form  of  extension  of  lines  into  territory  not  otherwise  served. 

"It  never  has  contemplated  the  stifling  of  a  property  oper- 


[i89] 

ated  under  a  franchise  agreement  and  in  which  the  citizens 
of  the  franchise  granting  municipality  are  stockholders.  Such 
acJion  would  be  an  unlawful  taking  without  due  process  al- 
tho  under  color  of  law.  No  municipality  can  afford  to  place 
itself  in  such  a  position  with  regard  to  a  public  utility  notwith- 
standing the  shortcomings  of  former  managers  and  directors 
of  the  property. 

"  What  must  be  considered  are  the  rights  of  all  concerned 
from  an  equitable  standpoint.  The  people  of  San  Francisco 
are  entitled  to  transportation  service;  the  United  Railroads 
is  entitled  to  live  and  do  business  under  the  franchises  granted 
to  it  by  the  people  of  San  Francisco  until  those  franchises 
either  expire  or  are  abrogated  by  mutual  agreement  upon  the 
payment  of  proper  compensation.  The  proposition  of  Presi- 
dent Lilienthal  on  behalf  of  the  United  Railroads  is  eminently 
fair  and  should  be  accepted  unless  the  city  desires  to  rest  under 
the  stigma  of  desiring  ruthlessly  to  destroy  something  that  has 
been  created  under  franchises  granted  by  it." 

"  With  a  possibility  of  the  adoption  of  the  proposed  universal 
transfer  system,  as  offered  by  the  United  Railroads,  it  looks 
as  though  a  ray  of  sunlight  has  appeared  upon  the  horizon 
that  will  settle  for  all  time  the  hazardous  proposition  of  a 
four-track  system  down  Market  Street.  It  is  also  gratifying 
to  learn  that  our  local  district  Improvement  Association,  the 
Polk  and  Larkin  District  Association,  has  gone  on  record 
as  favoring  this  plan,  which  is  only  fair  and  just  to  all  con- 
cerned. While  admitting  a  universal  transfer  system  in  vogue 
in  San  Francisco  will  mean  much  to  the  Polk  district,  tt  will 
mean  even  more  to  the  pedestrian  traffic  of  the  entire  city. 


[ 

11  The  days  of  personal  animosity  and1  the  public  be  d — ' 
might  have  been  the  caper  under  boss  rule,  but  in  these  times 
of  efficiency  and  safety  for  life  and  limb,  co-operation  is  more 
essential, and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  worthy  supervisor  swill 
weigh  well  the  attitude  of  the  traveling  public  and  be  guided 
in  their  decision  by  public  sentiment  rather  than  personal  ani- 
mosity. 

' '  Under  the  broad  and  intelligent  supervision  of  affairs  of  the 
United  Railways  by  its  president,  Jesse  Lilienthal,  no  fairer 
proposition  could  have  emanated  from  any  source,  than  this 
last  excellent  offer  of  compromise  to  our  city  fathers. 

"It  is  very  evident  the  United  Railroads  desires  to  play  fair 
with  San  Francisco  in  thefnal  adjustment  of  this  proposed 
four-track  system,  a  menace  to  life  and  limb  and  a  boomerang 
to  the  down-town  merchants,  as  according  to  their  universal 
transfer  system,  as  submitted,  they  would  bear  the  bur  den  for 
all  time.  The  Twin  Peaks  Tunnel  was  built  and  completed 
by  the  taxpayers' money,  and  it  is  up  to  them  to  voice  their  sen- 
timent in  the  matter.  By  a  universal  transfer  system,  all  re  si- 
dents  of  San  Francisco  would  have  access  through  the  same 
on  a  single  fare.  The  Polk  Street  Journal  is  unqualifiedly 
for  the  universal  transfers." 

"  The  offer  is  one  that  the  people  have  a  right  to  demand 
should  be  accepted.  There  appears  to  be  no  disposition  on  the 
part  of  the  officials  of  San  Francisco  to  pay  the  slightest  at- 
tention to  the  desires  or  necessities  of  the  property  owners  whose 
holdings  were  taxed  to  pay  the  cost  of  constructing  the  tunnel. 

"Neither  the  political  ambitions  nor  the  personal  hatreds  of 
a  few  per  sons  should  be  permitted  to  interfere  with  the  giving 


['9'] 

of  the  best  service  possible  thru  the  tunnel  and  to  the  people 
in  every  part  of  the  city  who  may  have  occasion  to  use  it.  To 
refuse  the  of er  of  the  United  Railroads  is  to  deny  to  the  people 
the  best  possible  transportation  service,  but  to  insist  that  none 
but  municipal  cars  shall  run  thru  the  tunnel  is  to  tax  every 
citizen  who  lives  in  a  s  eft  ion  remote  from  the  municipal  lines 
an  extra  fare  by  way  of  penalty. 

"  The  tunnel  was  expected  to  increase  the  taxable  area  of  the 
city  and  thereby  the  assessment  roll;  but  if  the  present  policy 
is  persisted  in  the  property  values  in  the  section  supposed  to 
be  benefited  will  be  lowered  instead  of  being  increased.  The 
people  who  bought  in  the  West  of  Twin  Peaks  district  are 
in  a  fair  way  of  being  victimized  by  the  very f aft  or  to  which 
they  looked  for  assistance  in  making  that  seftion  livable  and 
desirable  for  residence  purposes,  and  all  because  of  the  desire 
of  certain  persons  high  in  the  counsels  of  the  municipal  ad- 
ministration to  gratify  a  private  spite. 

"Such  an  attitude  is  to  be  not  only  deprecated  but  it  is  to 
be  condemned  for  it  is  based  confessedly  upon  the  desire  to  de- 
stroy the  value  of  a  contra  ft  entered  into  by  the  city  and  upon 
the  strength  of  which  securities  have  been  issued.  A  fran- 
chise is  a  contra  ft,  and,  in  the  case  of  a  street  railroad,  can- 
not be  abrogated  except  for  gross  negleft  or  wilful  refusal  on 
the  part  of  the  franchise  holder  to  render  the  service  for  which 
it  was  granted  the  privilege.  And  it  is  doubly  reprehensible 
for  a  municipality  to  deliberately  set  about  robbing  the  fran- 
chise of  its  value  by  indireftion  and  for  the  purpose  of  secur- 
ing the  property  at  a  depreciated  price. 

"  The  question  of  the  destruftion  of  Market  Street  as  a  thoro- 


[  '92  ] 

fare  by  the  construction  of  another  set  of  tracks  may  well  be 
left  out  of  this  discussion  because  of  its  obviousness. 

"The  principle  of  municipal  ownership  is  not  involved  in 
the  present  controversy;  that  principle  has  been  thoroly  es- 
tablished in  San  Francisco,  and  it  contemplates,  not  the  de- 
struction of  existing  utilities,  but  the  acquisition  by  the  city  at 
a  reasonable  price  of  existing  utilities.  That  was  the  idea  that 
animated  Bion  jf.  Arnold  in  his  report  on  the  resettlement  of 
the  San  Francisco  street  railroad  franchises — that  the  city, 
if  it  desired  to  acquire  the  existing  transportation  utilities, 
would  do  so  by  agreement  duly  entered  into,  and  not  by  a  proc- 
ess of  blackmail. 

"  This  may  seem  a  strong  method  of  expression,  but  in  view 
of  certain  public  declarations  of  persons  in  the  confidence  of 
the  present  administration,  is  justified. 

"As  stated  above,  no  municipality  can  affordto  be  less  honest 
than  it  experts  its  citizens  to  be.  Notwithstanding  what  may 
be  done  by  corporations  holding  privileges  under  municipal 
gift,  the  municipality  must  in  all  equity,  deal  in  absolute  hon- 
esty with  them,  and  having  granted  a  franchise  must  fulfil 
every  obligation  under  it. 

"  The  logical  thing  for  San  Francisco  to  do  is  to  consider 
favorably  the  offer  of  the  United  Railroads,  not  alone  because 
it  is  advantageous  to  the  people,  but  because  it  is  the  honest 
method  of  settling  the  matter. 

"  The  offer  made  is  advantageous  to  the  people  of  the  dis- 
trict directly  affected;  they  paid  for  the  construction  of  the 
tunnel  and  are  entitled  to  be  consulted.  Not  only  that,  but  the 
offer  affects  every  citizen  who  may  have  occasion  to  use  the 


[  '93  ] 

Twin  Peaks  tunnel  and  penalizes  him  to  the  extent  of  a  double 
fare  if  it  is  rejected. 

"  San  Francisco  will  soon  enough  have  to  take  over  the  prop- 
erties of  the  United  Railroads.  If  it  is  the  desire  to  acquire 
them  before  the  expiration  date,  why  not  arrange  a  basis  of 
resettlement  and  purchase,  instead  of  embarking  upon  a  course 
that  is  confessedly  piratical. 

"  To  enter  upon  a  policy  for  the  express  purpose  of  forcing 
a  public  utility  corporation  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver  is  pi- 
ratical in  the  extreme  and  should  not  be  supported  by  any  de- 
cent citizen. 

"No  one  is  asking  for  anything  but  a  square  deal  in  this 
matter  and  the  principal facJor  should  be  the  desire  of  the  peo- 
ple whose  contributions  built  the  tunnel.  Will  the  city  authori- 
ties leave  the  matter  to  their  arbitrament?  " 

Mr.  Lilienthal  again  used  his  best  efforts  to  encourage 
the  purchase  of  the  Road  by  the  City.  He  says:  "I  have 
always  thought  San  Francisco  should  own  the  United 
Railroads  because  of  the  disastrous  competition.  I  am 
willing  to  do  everything  in  my  power  to  further  nego- 
tiations to  that  end."  Notwithstanding  public  opinion 
and  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Lilienthal,  the  Mayor  and  Public 
Utilities  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  hav- 
ing it  within  their  power,  adled  contrary  to  the  general 
wish  and  in  a  most  arbitrary  manner  built  the  parallel- 
ing tracks.  A  more  unconscientious  act  was  never  per- 
petrated. It  is  the  marvel  of  marvels  that  the  citizens 
of  San  Francisco  sat  by  and  permitted  the  outrage  to  be 
consummated. 


THE  STRIKE  OF  1917. 

After  all  the  apparent  peace  and  confidence  existing 
between  the  President  and  the  men,  in  August,  1917,  the 
agitators  won  the  men  over.  Mr.  Lilienthal,  who  was 
taking  a  short  vacation,  was  surprised  to  receive  a  mes- 
sage that  a  strike  was  threatened  and  about  one  hundred 
men  had  left  their  cars  on  the  street.  He  immediately 
jumped  on  the  train  for  home.To  quote  his  own  words: 

"  On  the  first  of  July  I  raised  the  wages  of  my  men.  Every- 
body seemed  very  grateful  and  very  happy.  There  hadn't  been 
a  complaint  or  a  demand  of  any  kind.  I  was  about  the  most 
disappointed  man  in  the  country.  The  men  had  been  tested 
twice  before,  and  they  seemed  like  a  very  happy  family. 

"  With  their  wives  and  children,  and  other  members  of  their 
families,  they  used  to  come  to  my  office  and  consult  me  about 
their  domestic  affairs. 

+JU 

"  The  real  trouble  was  that,  owing  to  enlistments,  the  draft 
and  what  not,  we  had  taken  on  a  considerable  percentage  of 
new  men. 

"Those  are  the  ones  that  quit. 

"I  have  letter  on  letter  from  men  who  in  quitting  said  that 
they  were  men  of  family,  and  that  they  were  afraid  of  being 
beaten  up. 

"  This  is  the  crux  of  the  difficulty.  We  have  a  five  cent  fare 
that  is  rigid.  Everything  that  we  buy  today  costs  a  vast  deal 
more  than  it  ever  did.  When  I  made  the  raise  on  July  first  it 
was  notwithstanding  this.  I  realized  that  it  was  costing  the 
men  more  to  live. 

"  We  can't  put  them  on  a  par  with  the  municipal  carmen 


C'95] 

because  those  lines  pay  no  taxes,  and  contribute  nothing  to  the 
cost  of  paving  the  streets.  Any  dejicit  that  they  incur  can  al- 
ways be  made  up  out  of  the  budget. 

"I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  attempted  strike  was 
precipitated  as  part  of  a  political  conspiracy  to  force  this  com- 
pany into  a  position  where  it  could  be  acquired  at  bargain- 
counter  prices. 

"  There  hasn't  been  one  single  aft  of  violence  on  the  part 
of  our  employes.  When  we  proceeded  to  bring  men  into  the  city, 
it  was  on  the  express  stipulation  that  they  must  be  experienced 
platform  men;  that  they  must  come  unarmed;  and  that  they 
must  be  told  that  they  were  coming  to  take  the  places  of  men 
who  had  struck. 

"  That  is  the  whole  story." 

"  The  e forts  of  the  company  to  help  the  men  do  not  appeal 
to  newcomers  in  the  service  who  take  jobs  with  no  intention 
of  settling  down  and  who  are  quite  as  willing  to  wreck  the 
United  Railroads  as  some  of  our  city  officials  and  city  bosses 
have  shown  themselves  to  be" 

"I  have  consistently  had  in  mind  two  considerations  as  domi- 
nant: one, that  the  company  should  adequately  serve  the  pub  lie, 
and  the  other,  that  the  men  should  be  treated  as  fairly  and 
generously  as  the  limited  fare  allowed  to  be  collected  would 
permit.  We  have  three  times  during  the  last  four  years, with- 
out any  compulsion  on  the  part  of  the  men,  raised  their  wages, 
the  last  one  having  been  made  to  take  ejfeft  only  a  little  over 
a  month  ago.  We  have  insured  the  lives  of  our  employes  with- 
out any  cost  to  them  and  whatever  their  physical  condition. 
We  have  made  hundreds  of  loans  to  our  employes,  charging 


['96] 

only  Jive  per  cent  per  annum,  and  practically  leaving  it  to 
their  convenience  to  repay  same. 

11 1  have  had  the  men  understand  that  my  door  'was  open  to 
them  at  all  times,  not  only  with  reference  to  the  affairs  of  the 
company,  but  also  with  a  view  to  helping  them  in  all  other 
matters  with  which  the  company  as  such  would  have  no  con- 
cern. And  the  men  and  their  families  have  freely  availed 
themselves  of  that  invitation,  and  the  relations  between  the 
men  and  the  company  during  my  administration  have, I  know, 
been  uniformly  friendly .  I  also  know  that  the  great  majority 
of  our  men  are  contented,  because  I  have  had  their  express, 
voluntary  assurance  to  that  effect.  They  know  that  we  are 
doing  the  best  by  them  that  we  can.  I  also  know  that  those 
of  our  men  recently  employed  came  under  certain  outside  in- 
fluences and  that  at  the  present  time  such  defection  as  is  tak- 
ing place  is  the  result  of  physical  intimidation.  We  must,  of 
course,  depend  upon  the  public  officials  to  preserve  order,  but, 
even  if  they  do,  the  fear  of  violence,  especially  when  applied 
to  men  of  families,  tends  to  frighten  them  off  the  cars. 

"In  these  times, when  it  is  of  paramount  importance, in  view 
of  the  Nation  being  at  war,  that  there  should  ?iot  be  even  the 
semblance  of  disorder,  the  parading  of  streets  by  boisterous  agi- 
tators with  inflammatory  placards  is  certainly  one  to  deserve 
the  attention  of  the  public." 

Mr.  Lilienthal  should  have  been  a  saddened  and  dis- 
heartened man  with  such  a  condition,  after  all  his  honest 
interest  in  his  men,but  no,  he  still  had  faith  in  the  loyalty 
of  the  majority  of  his  employees. 

The  strikers  were  riotous,  law  and  order  were  cast  to 


[  '97  ] 

the  winds,  and  they  were  fearless  in  their  dastardly  deeds, 
as  they  knew  they  had  the  support  of  the  police  and  the 
police  justices. 

The  Mayor  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  asked  for  a 
meeting  with  Mr.  Lilienthal,  making  a  pretense  of  com- 
ing in  a  conciliatory  spirit  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos — 
too  late  to  make  amends  for  the  terrors  enacted,  and  Mr. 
Lilienthal  refused  any  intercession  from  them  or  to  see 
the  strikers.  He  was  willing  to  take  back  his  old  em- 
ployees, provided  they  returned  under  former  conditions. 
The  Public  Utilities  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors passed  a  resolution  inquiring  if  the  United  Rail- 
roads could  be  purchased,  and  if  so  upon  what  terms.The 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  United  Railroads  answered: 

'  *  R  e  solved,  that  during  the  pendency  of  the  present  disorders, 
and  until  adequate  police  protection  is  furnished  to  prevent 
them,  it  would  be  inconsistent  with  the  interests  of  the  holders 
of  the  company's  securities  to  entertain  any  negotiation  for 
the  purchase  of  the  company's  property." 

Mr.  Lilienthal  charges  discrimination  in  the  follow- 
ing letter: 

"  August  24, 1917- 
"May or  James  Rolph,  Chief  of  Police  D.  A.  White,  and 

"Theodore  J.  Roche,  President  of  the  Police  Commission. 
"Gentlemen: 

"  The  United  Railroads  ofSanFrancisco  hereby  notifies  you 
that  commencing  Saturday  evening,  August  II,  1 917,  and 
for  the  few  days  immediately  following,  certain  portions  of 
its  platform  men  who  operated  its  street  cars  voluntarily  quit 


[i98] 

their  employment .  Since  then  this  company  has  employed  other 
competent  and  experienced  men  to  fill  their  places,  in  order 
to  operate  its  street  cars  upon  and  along  the  streets  of  the  city 
and  county. 

"Every  effort  made  by  this  company  and  its  employees  to 
lawfully  operate  its  cars  has  been  interfered  'with  by  mobs 
and  riots  to  such  an  extent  that  the  company  and  its  employees 
have  been  unable  to  fully  operate  its  street  railroad  system 
and  cars,  particularly  in  'what  is  known  as  south  of  Market 
and  the  Mission  districts.  Many  of  its  cars  and  much  of  the 
property  has  been  injured  by  said  mobs  and  riots.  From  the 
experiences  since  that  time  it  is  evident  that  every  effort  to 
operate  the  cars  of  the  company  will  be  forcibly  and  unlaw- 
fully resisted  by  persons  assembled  in  mobs  and  riots  in  the 
streets  of  this  city. 

"  You  are  further  notified  that  the  police  are,  in  contraven- 
tion of  any  legal  right — 

"First.  Searching  our  cars  and  employees ; 

"  Second.  Arresting  those  of  our  employees  whom  they  find 
with  implements  of  defense  carried  openly; 

"  Third.  Arresting  our  employees  when  they  find  in  a  car 
even  such  an  instrument  as  the  handle  of  a  pick-ax.  They 
have  openly  stated  that  they  intended  to  arrest  one  man  for 
each  pick-ax  handle  so  found  by  them  in  a  car. 

"By  these  actions  the  police  of  San  Francisco  are  not  only 
not  protecting  the  rights  and  property  of  this  company,  but 
are  preventing  the  proper  operation  of  our  cars,  thereby  limit- 
ing our  service,  with  a  consequent  result  in  loss  of  earnings 
and  a  further  loss  through  the  added  expense  which  we  have 


[  '99  ] 

to  incur  in  order  to  secure  men  to  run  the  cars  due  to  these 
hostile  actions  by  the  police  and  to  the  neglect  of  the  police  to 
properly  protect  our  property. 

"Mobs  and  riots  have  already  occurred  and  the  police  have 
failed  to  disperse  the  mobs  or  to  give  due  and  proper  protection 
to  enable  this  company  to  carry  on  its  business.  This  company 
is  desirous  of  doing  everything  within  its  power  to  prevent  vio- 
lence and  bloodshed;  it  has  a  right  to  protection  from  the  city 
authorities,  and  I  respectfully  request  that  you  take  the  neces- 
sary steps  to  secure  same.  "Respectfully, 

"Jesse  W.  Lilienthal,  President." 

On  August  1 6th  and  23rd,  Mr.  Lilienthal  published 
through  the  daily  papers  the  following  messages: 

"To  THE  PUBLIC: 

"We  desire  to  have  the  public  informed  from  day  to  day 
of  the  exact  attitude  of  the  Company.  We  recognize  the  duty 
of  an  employer  to  furnish  to  its  employees  the  best  conditions 
that  its  earnings  will  permit.  We  are  not  in  the  position  of  the 
municipality  operating  a  public  utility ',  which  pays  no  taxes 
and  which  is  in  a  position  to  make  up  a  dejicit  by  simply  adding 
the  amount  of  such  dejicit  to  its  budget.  We  have  got  to  cut 
our  coat  according  to  our  cloth ,  and  if  employees  discontented 
with  conditions  or  intimidated  by  the  fear  of  violence  quit  the 
service  of  the  Company,  it  is  part  of  our  duty  to  the  public  to 
Jill  their  places  with  others,  and  this  we  are  proceeding  to  do. 
Wherever  quitting  employees  who  left  only  through  fear  of 
violence  have  offered  to  return,  we  cheerfully  take  them  back. 

"A  Vice-President  of  the  Amalgamated  Association  of 


20° 

Street  Railway  Employees  of  America  has  addressed  a  com- 
munication to  us  demanding  $3*50  for  an  eight-hour  day, 
and  time  and  a  half  for  overtime.  It  is  only  the  interference 
of  this  outside  organization  that  has  brought  about  the  pres- 
ent condition. 

"But  the  matter  may  be  treated  on  its  merits.  The  Com- 
pany, through  the  competition  of  the  jitneys  and  municipal 
lines,  has  been  forced  to  seek  an  extension  of  its  obligations, 
and  these  are  to  be  largely  scaled  down.  Notwithstanding  this, 
as  recently  as  July  first  last,  realizing  the  increased  cost  of 
living, we  made  a  voluntary  increase  of  wages,  the  third  vol- 
untary increase  during  the  present  administration.  We  will 
continue,  as  we  have  in  the  past,  to  do  everything  possible  for 
our  men,  our  relations  with  whom,  until  the  interference  of 
this  outside  organization,  had  been  of  the  friendliest  nature. 
Those  of  the  men  who  quit  did  so  without  having  made  any 
complaint  or  demand. 

"We  cannot  give  what  we  have  not  got.  But  we  realize 
our  duty  to  serve  the  public,  and  we  are  proceeding  as  rapidly 
as  possible  to  Jill  the  vacancies  with  new  men,  in  the  expec- 
tation that  they  will  become  a  permanent  part  of  the  organi- 
zation. "  United  Railroads  of  San  Francisco, 

"Jesse  W.  Lilienthal, President." 
"To  THE  PUBLIC: 

"/.  The  United  Railroads  has  in  no  case  encouraged  or 
counselled  violence  or  law-breaking  on  the  part  of  any  of  its 
employees.  We  demand  that  any  infraction  of  the  law  on  the 
part  of  any  of  our  men  be  fully  prosecuted  by  the  proper  au- 
thorities. 


!  [   201    ] 

"2.  Newspaper  reports  have  misrepresented  the  facts  and 
have  given  the  public  the  false  impression  that  this  company 
is  importing  men  as  gunmen  and  thugs  to  violate  the  /aw. 

"J.  On  the  contrary,  all  violence  has  been  against  the  em- 
ployees of  our  company.  In  the  last  two  days,  overffty  out- 
rages have  been  committed  against  them,  twenty-two  of  our 
cars  have  been  damaged  and  live  shave  been  endangered,  and 
this  notwithstanding  that  we  have  repeatedly  called  upon  the 
police  department  for  protection.  In  no  instance  has  adequate 
protection  been  afforded  by  the  authorities,  and  no  convictions 
have  been  secured.  Numerous  of  our  present  and  former  em- 
ployees have  been  and  are  being  threatened  and  intimidated 
even  at  their  homes. 

"4.  This  company  is  prepared  to  furnish  adequate  trans- 
portation in  the  present  crisis,  but  demands  that  law  and  order 
be  enforced,  and  further  demands  from  the  city  and  its  au- 
thorities the  full  measure  of  protection  to  which  it  is  legally 
entitled. 

"  The  United  Railroads  within  its  legal  rights  will  run  its 
cars.  It  should  be  furnished  lawful  protection  by  the  Mayor, 
the  Police  Commission  and  the  Chief  of  Police,  whose  sworn 
duty  it  is  to  afford  such  protection,  in  order  that  this  corpora- 
tion can  perform  its  duty  to  the  people  and  peacefully  operate 
its  cars. 

"  Will  the  City  Authorities  continue  to  deny  protection  to 
the  man  who  wants  to  work? 

"  United  Railroads  of  San  Francisco, 

"Jesse  W.  Lilienthal,  President:' 

The  Bulletin  in  its  editorial  demanded  in  the  name  of 


[   202    ] 

the  public — the  third  party  in  the  dispute — that  the  cars 
be  run  and  the  quarrel  be  arbitrated.  A  man  not  in  any 
way  conne&ed  with  the  Company  writes  in  answer  the 
following: 

"While  I  am  wholly  in  sympathy  'with  the  cause  of  labor, 
for  my  own  hours  are  twelve  or  fifteen  daily ,  I  demand  a  liv- 
ing wage  for  all  men,  but  not  eight  hours  continuous  work  in 
the  street  railroad  business,  which  can't  be  done,  nor  pay  that 
would  bankrupt  if  entered  upon.  But  this  day  a  Fillmore  con- 
ductor stated  to  me  his  weekly  wage — seven  days  at  present — 
of  $28  for  ten  hours  and  ten  minutes  daily.  Not  bad,  that. 
Moreover,  United  Railroads  men  were  never  so  well  pro- 
vided for  or  paid  as  they  are  today,  not  counting  bonuses,  as 
for  instance  free  hospital  service,  direct  grievances,  finan- 
cial loans,  transferred  positions,  etc.,  for  which  the  railroad 
receives  neither  credit  nor  thanks  at  this  trying  time. 

"A  believer  in  fairness  or  fair  play,  is  the  railroad  com- 
pany getting  it?  For  the  thousands  of  dollars  it  pays  each 
year  in  taxes  and  from  earnings,  is  it  getting  the  police  pro- 
tection to  which  it  is  justly  entitled?  Is  our  May  or  not  spend- 
ing more  time  doing  politics,  and  with  his  ear  to  the  ground 
for  the  future  than  he  is  in  serving  the  interests  of  the  people 
he  at  present  represents  ? 

"  The  claim  that  if  the  city  can  pay  a  certain  wage  the  United 
Railroads  can  also  will  not  stand  the  test.  If  applied  gener- 
ally,not  only  would  scores  of  tax  eaters  be  dismissed  from  offi- 
cial employment,  but  municipal  platform  men  would  not  be 
so  numerous  nor  wield  the  power  they  do  today.  Woe  to  the 
public  official  who  opposes  expenditures  where  labor  is  em- 


2°3 

ployed.  One  phase  of  railroading  is  business,  the  other  is  largely 
political. 

"President  Lilienthal  is  one  of  our  ablest  and  most  respected 
citizens.  He  denies  the  payment  of  railroad  dividends  for  sev- 
eral years  past  and  points  out  that  the  company  is  about  to 
default  on  certain  of  its  bonds.  Municipal  roads  and  jitneys 
have  cut  heavily  into  the  United  Railroads'  earnings  and  now 
an  entire  city  administration  is  apparently  at  its  throat. 

"  The  company  is  right  in  refusing  negotiations  for  either 
purchase  or  lease  of  its  property  while  this  strike  is  on.  To 
do  otherwise  would  tend  to  further  depreciate  its  value  and 
the  interests  of  hundreds  of  stockholders  in  this  city.  Let  nor- 
mal conditions  be  re  stored jthen  let  negotiations  be  entered  upon 
as  seems  best  for  the  public  good.  But  to  egg  on  the  strike, 
ill  advised  and  ill  timed, and  to  array  against  the  United  Rail- 
roads all  the  united  interests  that  would  profit  by  its  undoing 
is  not  only  unworthy  of  our  city  and  discouraging  to  the  in- 
vestment of  all  capital,  but  if  continued  in  is  bound  to  result 
in  endless  litigation  and  possibilities  of  heavy  damages  against 
the  city  being  obtained.  "Tours  truly, 

"A.  B.  McNeil." 

This  condition  of  riot,  assault,  and  murder  continued 
for  weeks.  Mr.  Lilienthal  asked  for  police  protection  on 
each  car. The  Chamber  of  Commerce  demanded  of  the 
Mayor  that  the  police  powers  of  the  municipality  be  em- 
ployed to  safeguard  life  and  property.  The  reply  came 
that  the  police  were  doing  the  best  they  could  to  main- 
tain order— the  veriest  hypocrisy  too  apparent  to  discuss, 
as  the  police  were  not  permitted  to  be  on  the  cars,  and 


[  204  ] 

if  the  police  failed  to  down  the  riotous  mob,  military 
aid  as  provided  by  law  should  have  been  called. 

The  besetting  sin  of  the  Unions  is  the  walking  dele- 
gate, and  the  root  of  the  evil  of  the  strike  is  the  license 
allowed  to  the  agitator  making  inflammatory  addresses 
at  the  sessions  of  the  so-called  Carmen's  Union.  One 
particularly  inhuman  delegate  urged  them  "to  make  a 
good  job  of  it  while  they  were  at  it  so  they  will  not  need 
to  send  the  men  to  a  hospital."  These  delegates  plan  and 
evolve  trouble  in  order  that  they  may  continue  to  draw 
fat  salaries  and  suck  the  very  blood  from  the  veins  of  our 
workingmen. 

Mr.Lilienthal's  heart  went  out  in  pity  for  many  of  the 
men  who  he  knew  were  following  an  element  against 
which  they  were  no  t  sufficiently  strong  to  struggle.  Many 
good  men  were  sacrificed  in  the  fray,  their  families  inci- 
dentally suffering. 

But  what  would  the  agitators  and  their  ilk  have  to  do 
could  they  not  incite  and  agitate  ? 

The  experience  of  the  strike  was  most  trying  to  a 
man  of  Mr.  Lilienthal's  sensitive  nature  and  did  much 
I  know  to  undermine  his  health.  Had  he  not  been  the 
big  man  he  was,  and  felt  as  did  the  Lord,"  Save  the  city  if 
there  be  but  ten  righteous  ones,"  he  surely  would  have 
renounced  a  responsibility  which  was  nothing  but  a  con- 
stant annoyance  and  a  thankless  task. 

It  would  of  course  be  difficult  for  a  man  of  the  cali- 
ber of  those  ensconced  in  the  City  Hall  to  imagine  that 
there  could  be  a  head  of  a  corporation  absolutely  hon- 


I  [  2°5  ] 

est  and  disinterested,  considering  the  welfare  of  his  em- 
ployees almost  above  all  else,  and  yet  that  was  the  kind 
of  man  the  President  of  the  United  Railroads  was,  not- 
withstanding his  unwillingness  to  allow  the  men  to  or- 
ganize. 

As  Mr.  Lilienthal  is  no  more,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say 
that  he  never  accepted  within  several  thousand  dollars 
the  salary  promised  him  and  at  his  disposal,  feeling  that 
the  Road  was  in  such  financial  stress.  Are  there  many 
similar  occurrences  on  record,  particularly  among  the 
labor  leaders? 

The  great  redeeming  feature  was  the  loyalty  of  hun- 
dreds of  his  men,  appreciating  as  they  did  that  had  there 
been  a  possibility  to  unionize  his  men  with  justice  to 
the  men  as  well  as  to  the  Company  he  had  in  trust,  it 
would  have  been  done.  Every  rule  has  an  exception,  and 
this  was  a  case  in  point. 

"Many  people  downtown  thought  it  a  foregone  conclusion 
that  Lilienthal  would  lose  out  because  of  the  attitude  of  Mayor 
Rolph  and  the  police  department  at  the  outset.  Lilienthal  is 
a  good  deal  of  an  idealist  and  believes  in  mixing  high  ideals 
in  and  with  everyday  business  life.  For  that  reason  some  have 
deemed  him  a  dreamer  and  impracticable.  They've  changed 
their  minds  now,  for  it  was  his  splendid  treatment  of  his  men 
that  caused  eight  hundred  of  the  force  to  stick  to  him  through 
thick  and  thin.  It  has  been  an  expensive  fight,  though,  but 
nothing  compared  to  the  loss  the  company  would  have  sus- 
tained had  the  strike  succeeded." 

On  November  1 2, 1 9 1 7,  Mr.  Lilienthal  increased  the 


[   206  ] 

wages  of  the  platform  men  as  a  reward  for  their  loyalty 
in  remaining  with  the  Company  during  its  trouble.  He 
announced: 

"  The  Company  appreciates  the  faithful  service  of  the  plat- 
form men  who  remained  continuously  in  its  employ  after 
August  II,  I QI  fj  and,  recognizing  that  their  loyalty  and 
courage  should  be  rewarded  in  a  substantial  manner,  will  in- 
crease their  pay. 

"I  realize  that  living  is  higher  and  that  these  conditions 
can  be  met  by  increasing  the  pay  of  our  men.  As  heretofore 
I  have  voluntarily  increased  the  pay  of  our  men,  having  made 
three  increases  previously,  I  again  provide  for  an  increase 
of  pay  for  our  platform  men,  although  the  company  can  ill 
afford  it  in  view  of  the  constantly  increasing  competition  of 
the  municipal  lines ,  the  taxi,  the  private  automobiles,  and  the 
jitney.  At  the  same  time  I  have  felt  that  the  splendid  loyalty 
shown  by  a  large  number  of  our  employees  under  distressing 
conditions  was  deserving  of  some  special  appreciation  and 
reward." 

Although  the  labor  Union  did  not  call  off  officially 
the  so  called  strike  until  December  first,  the  trouble  had 
ended  some  weeks  before  and  the  cars  were  running 
normally. 

The  purchase  of  the  Road  by  the  City  was  again  under 
consideration.  Another  endeavor  toward  reorganization 
had  been  effected.  Mr.Lilienthal  hoped  to  make  the  pur- 
chase of  the  Road  by  the  City  the  crowning  ad:  of  his 
presidency.  As  he  had  so  frequently  said,  it  was  the  only 
solution  of  the  City  railway  problem,  and  he  would  wel- 


2°7 

come  the  purchase  of  the  Road  by  the  City  under  any  plan 
that  was  feasible  and  just  to  the  owners  of  the  property. 
He  did  not  live  to  see  this  consummated.  He  had 
planned  to  retire  from  the  presidency  of  the  United  Rail- 
roads and  continue  his  law  practice  in  a  limited  way  and 
devote  more  time  to  his  philanthropic  work,  so  near  to 
his  heart.  Man  proposes  and  God  disposes. 


[   208   ] 

CHAPTER  IX 

Patriotism  and  Service  During 
the  War 

A  IE  time  of  the  European  war  Jesse  Lilienthal 
hoped  against  hope  that  a  settlement  would 
be  reached  before  we  would  be  participants 
in  the  sad  and  fearful  carnage;  but  when  the 
time  arrived  that  our  honor  was  at  stake,  and  we  were 
drawn  into  this  struggle  for  right  and  justice,  his  pa- 
triotism knew  no  bounds.  He  felt  that  every  man  and 
woman  living  in  America,  whether  native  or  foreign 
born,  was  here  to  fight  our  cause  and  no  other. 

In  1917  when  we  entered  into  the  war,  it  was  in  this 
spirit  that  he  impressed  upon  the  men  of  the  United 
Railroads  the  importance  of  becoming  American  citi- 
zens, and  he  writes  to  them  through  the  United  Rail- 
roads magazine : 

"  The  thought  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  all  of  us  and  that 
ought  to  be  uppermost  in  our  minds  is  the  state  of  war  upon 
'which  the  United  States  has  now  definitely  entered.  For  better 
or  worse,  it  is  an  actual  condition  and  no  longer  a  possibil- 
ity that  now  confronts  us.  That  means  that  every  German, 
Austrian,  Hungarian,  Bohemian,  Bulgarian  or  Turk,  even 
though  he  live  in  the  United  States,  is  an  enemy  of  our  country 
and  exposed  to  all  the  risks  and  penalties  that  apply  to  enemies. 
President  Wilson,  however,  always  humane  and  consider  ate, 
has  announced  (and  in  that  respect  he  voices  the  sentiment  of 


the  vast  majority  of  our  people)  that,  so  long  as  such  alien 
enemies  living  in  our  midst  do  not  abuse  our  hospitality,  they 
have  nothing  to  fear  either  as  to  their  lives,  their  liberty  or 
their  property .  At  the  same  time,  however,  he  <warns  them  that 
they  must  be  on  their  good  behavior,  that  having  come  here 
to  seek  their  fortunes  and  enjoying,  as  they  do,  the  protection 
of  our  laws,  they  owe  at  least  a  qualified  allegiance  to  this 
country,  and  that  any  violation  of  their  duty  in  that  respeEt, 
as  for  instance  in  lending  aid  or  comfort  to  the  countries  with 
which  we  are  at  war,  would  constitute  treason.  And  treason 
is  punishable  by  any  sentence  which  the  Government  may 
elecJ  to  impose,  even  to  the  extent  of  the  death  penalty  and  the 
confiscation  of  property. 

"Almost  at  the  beginning  of  my  administration  I  urged 
upon  all  of  you  who  were  not  citizens  of  the  United  States 
that  you  at  once  take  out  your 'first  papers  and  renounce  your 
allegiance  to  your  foreign  governments.  I  reminded  you  that 
if  this  country  was  good  enough  for  you  to  seek  a  living  in, 
it  was  good  enough  to  be  the  country  of  your  adoption  and  to 
have  your  allegiance,  and  I  warned  you  that  in  furnishing 
employment  the  Company  would  always  give  preference  to 
natives  and  naturalized  citizens  as  against  aliens.  'Those  of 
you  who  may  have  aft ed  upon  my  advice  will  now  appreciate 
the  value  of  it.  Those  of  you  who  did  not  do  so  before  should 
do  so  now.  This  is  a  good  enough  government  for  any  one, 
and  it  is  getting  better  all  the  time. 

"  The  Company  will,  of  course,  not  tolerate  any  afts  of  dis- 
loyalty on  the  part  of  any  of  its  employees, whatever  their  rank. 
I  cannot  impress  this  on  you  too  strongly,  and  I  do  so  in  your 


own  interest.  Old  Commander  Decatur  sounded  the  right  slo- 
gan when  he  said:  "Right  or  wrong  —  my  country!"  It  is 
hard  to  understand  how  any  one  will  fail  to  acknowledge 
the  patience  and  humanitarianism  as  well  as  the  patriotism 
of  President  Wilson  and  his  earnest  striving  to  keep  us  out 
of  war.  He  has  been  at  great  pains,  too, to  make  it  plain  that 
he  has  no  ill-will  towards  the  German  people.  He  even  goes 
further  and  declares  that  we  have  no  better  citizens  than  the 
German- Americans.  He  shares  with  them  the  pride  which 
they  feel  in  the  achievements  of  their  people.  But  he  reminds 
them  that  we  are  now  at  war  with  the  German  Government 
and  has  his  Secretary  of  State  caution  all  of  us,  citizens  and 
aliens  alike,  to  remain  cool  and  keep  our  mouths  shut.  I  am 
glad  to  recall  that  advice  to  you  and  to  urge  your  observance 
of  it,  and  in  doing  so  I  ask  you  to  join  with  me  in  protesting 
our  enthusiastic  and  unquestioning  allegiance  to  the  govern- 
ment of  our  own  great  country  and  to  the  Star  Spangled  Ban- 
ner which  is  its  emblem." 

He  encourages  the  men  to  show  their  patriotism  by 
buying  Liberty  Bonds,  offering  a  fifty  dollar  bond  for 
five  dollars  on  account,  forty-five  dollars  to  be  paid  at 
the  convenience  of  the  men.  In  appreciation  of  their 
response  he  writes: 

"First  of  all,  I  wish  to  compliment  the  employees  of  the 
United  Railroads  for  the  fine  spirit  with  which  they  responded 
both  to  the  appeal  of  the  Federal  Government  for  subscrip- 
tions to  the  Liberty  Bonds  and  to  the  appeal  of  the  National 
Red  Cross  for  its  War  Fund.  When  our  President  asks  for 
two  thousand  millions  and  gets  subscriptions  for  more  than 


[an] 

three  thousand  millions ,  and  when  the  Red  Cross  asks  for  one 
hundred  millions  and  gets  contributions  amounting  to  over  one 
hundred  and  eighteen  millions,  there  have  been  accomplished 
two  of  the  greatest  achievements  in  which  this  or  any  other 
people  ever  had  a  part,  and  I  am  proud  to  think  that  our  boys 
did  their  share.  The  company  announced  its  willingness  to 
carry  a  fifty  dollar  bond  for  any  employee  who  would  pay 
jive  dollars  on  account,  leaving  forty-five  dollars  still  to  be 
paid  at  the  convenience  of  the  subscriber;  and  it  may  be  under- 
stood that  that  offer  will  hold  good  until  further  notice.  There 
is  nothing  better  in  the  world  than  a  United  States  Govern- 
ment Bond. 

"Well,  these  two  experiences  have  certainly  brought  home 
to  us  most  vividly  the  grim  realities  of  war.  And  now  even 
more  than  they,  this  is  being  done  by  the  actual  drafting  of  our 
young  men  into  the  military  service  of  the  Nation.  One  of 
my  own  nephews,  whose  home  is  with  me,  has  already  gone  to 
Prance  and  is  at  the  front.  My  only  son  and  two  other  nephews 
are  subject  to  draft.  Many  of  you  are  in  the  same  position. 
Some  of  you  may, for  one  reason  or  another,  be  able  to  secure 
exemption.  But  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  none  of  our 
United  Railroads  boys  will  be  called.  If  some  do  go,  let  us 
earnestly  hope  that  they  will  come  back  and  come  back  physi- 
cally able  to  take  their  old  places  with  the  company  again. 
I  need  not  assure  them  that  the  company  would  welcome  them 
back  with  open  arms. 

"But  how  about  those  of  us  who  are  not  called?  The  man 
that  does  not  fight  can  find  other  means  to  serve  his  country, 
and  we  must  all  do  our  bit.  The  work  in  which  we  are  en- 


[212   ] 

gaged  has  somehow  got  to  be  done,  because,  after  all,  the  world 
cannot  stand  still.  Perhaps  the  sacrifice  that  those  who  re- 
main behind  should  bring  will  be  inform  of  increased  effort 
and  greater  enthusiasm  in  the  work,  so  that  when  the  others 
come  back  they  can  be  told,  with  a  justifiable  pride,  that  we 
too,  even  though  in  a  different  way  and  with  much  less  risk 
and  much  less  discomfort,  have  been  fighting  for  our  flag  and 
for  our  country.  "Jesse  W.  Lilienthal,  President." 

During  the  period  of  the  war,he  regretted  his  inabil- 
ity to  enlist  over  seas  on  account  of  his  age,  and  in  con- 
sequence used  all  his  energies  at  home.  His  war  work 
was  prodigious  —  awake  and  in  his  sleep  his  thoughts 
were  constantly  how  best  to  assist  his  country  and  the 
flag  he  adored;  how  to  make  the  life  of  the  enlisted  man 
healthful  and  happy,  whether  for  Jew  or  Christian  it 
mattered  not.  He  was  high-souled,far-visioned,and  uni- 
versal in  his  kindnesses ;  he  knew  no  creed.  His  voice  and 
material  aid  were  always  there  to  assist  in  every  humane 
cause.  No  soldier  on  the  field  of  battle  made  a  greater 
sacrifice  than  did  this  man.  His  battle  cry  was  "peace," 
but  the  peace  bringing  honor  to  America.  His  heart  bled 
for  the  boys  who  were  making  the  supreme  sacrifice, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  these  years  of  strenuous 
work,  fraught  with  so  much  worry,  did  much  to  shorten 
his  life. 

He  was  chairman  of  the  War  Camp  Community  Ser- 
vice, vice-chairman  of  the  Red  Cross,  and  chairman  of  the 
United  War  Work  Drive,  together  with  many  other  phil- 
anthropic works,  to  all  of  which  he  was  devoted  and  gave 


his  energy,  such  as  president  of  the  Tuberculosis  Asso- 
ciation, president  of  the  Recreation  League,  president 
of  the  San  Francisco  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  trustee  of 
the  Boys'  and  Girls' Aid  Society,  one  of  the  Probation 
Committee  of  the  Juvenile  Court  and  director  of  many 
civic  clubs  for  the  betterment  of  conditions. 


CHAPTER  X 
Char  after  and  Private  Life 

Ayith  all  his  public  spirit,  there  was  another 
side  to  his  life  even  more  beautiful  and  more 
exemplary,  that  of  father  and  husband.  One 
could  not  describe  this  man  and  omit  the 
home  and  its  surroundings  which  constituted  for  him 
the  height  of  his  happiness.  It  was  a  haven  of  peace  and 
love.  He  would  say:  "I  hear  enough  arguments  all  day. 
When  I  enter  my  home,  strife  and  worry  cease."  He  was 
the  prince  of  peace,  and  his  home  life  was  truly  the 
perfection  of  beauty  and  serenity.  Association  with  him 
meant  endeavor  to  do  one's  best.  It  was  a  constant  in- 
spiration to  be  associated  with  him.  One  could  not  do 
a  mean  thing  in  his  presence — the  look  in  his  eye  and 
the  expression  of  his  lips  would  bespeak  such  disap- 
proval that  one  would  be  ashamed  to  be  gossipy  or  petty 
in  any  way.  He  loved  his  home,  modest  as  it  was;  he 
would  wander  from  room  to  room  interested  in  his  books 
and  his  pictures.  He  realized  they  were  not  exceptional, 
just  beautiful  to  his  eyes,  but  they  were  his,  and  his  re- 
ligion almost  was  contentment— gratitude  for  what  had 
been  given  him  and  loyalty  to  his  possessions.  He  had 
not  a  room  in  his  home  without  books,  books  suited 
to  his  every  mood — poetry,  history,  essays,  biographies, 
scientific  and  political  works,as  well  as  all  kinds  of  novels 
and  romances.  As  a  recreation  he  loved  a  good  novel, 


C2'5] 

not  of  the  crass  or  problem  kind  but  even  love  stories 
and  romances,  and  he  would  say  jokingly,"  particularly 
those  which  ended  all  right."  His  own  life  was  one  long 
romance.  Relationship  between  him  and  his  wife  was 
unique.  They  were  in  sympathy  in  all  the  big  questions 
of  life;  they  were  constant  companions  in  all  their  activ- 
ities, sympathetic  in  the  extreme.  His  love  for  the  higher 
things  of  life,  without  being  obtrusive,  could  not  but  be 
apparent  to  any  one  who  had  close  association  with  him. 
He  was  born  with  the  gifts  of  the  gods— beauty,  men- 
tality, tact,  generosity  of  heart,  and  an  ambition  which 
was  never  satisfied  with  the  accomplishment  of  any  one 
thing.  When  an  undertaking  was  successful,  it  was  nat- 
urally a  source  of  pleasure  but  accepted  modestly,  and 
he  would  begin  to  strive  for  some  greater  achievement. 
His  high-minded  spirit  was  shown  in  every  step  he  took 
in  life,  even  to  his  manners  which  were  those  of  an  aris- 
tocrat, though  at  heart  the  most  democratic  of  men.  His 
respect  for  women  was  not  the  least  of  his  charms.  When 
in  a  crowded  car,  never  would  he  remain  seated  did  he 
see  a  woman  stand,  even  though  tired  after  a  busy  day's 
work  and  surrounded  as  often  happened  by  younger  men 
comfortably  ensconced.  He  lived,  as  did  the  knights  of 
old,  still  maintaining  this  sense  of  respect  and  chivalry. 
He  had  no  patience  with  sickly  sentimentality,  but  was 
full  of  sentiment,  and  he  proved  that  a  pra&ical  business 
man  could  be  an  idealist.  It  was  this  combination  of  the 
ideal  and  the  practical  in  life  which  made  Jesse  Warren 
Lilienthal  stand  among  the  few  great  men.  His  love  of 


[216] 

humanity  was  boundless,  and  he  was  grateful  to  Fate  for 
enabling  him  as  he  advanced  in  years  to  carry  out  his 
wish  to  assist  others  less  fortunate  than  himself.  He  said: 

"  Why  cannot  men  know  when  they  have  enough  ?  For  one 
man  enough  may  be  ten  thousand  dollars, for  another  it  may 
mean  hundreds  of  thousands;  but  let  every  manjix  a  term  to 
his  desires  and  spend  everything  of  his  income  over  and  above 
the  amount  that  makes  him  independent.  I  think  that  by  so 
doing  he  will  discover  the  secret  of  happiness.  It  has  solved 
the  problem  of  life  for  me.  It  has  so  altered  my  attitude  to- 
ward life  that  when  a  man  comes  to  me  for  help  in  rounding 
a  bad  corner,  I  do  not  feel  that  I  am  doing  him  a  favor  but 
that  he  is  conferring  an  obligation  on  me.  He  is  helping  me 
to  live  my  life  the  way  I  want  to  live  it." 

His  great  desire  was  to  help  people  help  themselves; 
he  was  never  tired  of  encouraging  them  to  fulfil  their 
ambitions,  and  many  are  the  young  men  who  owed  their 
success  to  the  encouragement  he  gave  them.  He  became 
a  sponsor  in  music  and  art  schools  for  the  best  instructors 
at  possible  prices.  In  facl:  he  wanted  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  who  showed  inclination  for  the  higher  things 
of  life  to  be  given  the  opportunity.  I  take  the  liberty  to 
quote  from  a  letter  which  I  received : 

"  Rich  in  intellect,  gifted,  genial,  noble,  and  brave,  he 

walked  the  earth  with  the  majesty  and  chivalry  of  a  knight 

of  old,  and  wherever  he  came  to  places  where  men  assembled 

for  the  common  welfare,  he  was  welcomed  with  outstretched 

hands  and  glad  voices  and  kind  thoughts. 

"  In  his  per  son,  he  combined  the  resources  of  a  cultured  mind 


C  2I7 

•with  the  charm  of  an  endearing  personality,  and  above  all, 
his  sympathy  was  so  great  that  it  drew  him  to  all,  and  all 
were  drawn  to  him  with  ties  of  enduring  friendship.  Thus 
his  passing  Jills  our  very  souls  with  eternal  regret  but  we  are 
supremely  gratified  for  the  priceless  legacy  of  his  splendid  ex- 
ample. 

"  He  believed  in  the  religion  of  kindness,  and  he  practiced 
it  every  hour  of  his  life.  The  crux  of  his  being  was  service 
for  others.  To  him  there  was  no  race,  no  creed,  no  national- 
ity whenever  or  wherever  there  was  human  suffering  or  mis- 
fortune; for  in  his  mind  there  was  only  room  for  the  great. 
He  is  *  of  those  immortal  dead  who  live  again  in  minds 
made  better  by  their  presence.'  He  was  deeply  loved.  He  had 
the  great  qualities  to  inspire  the  highest  admiration  and  the 
noblest  responses  in  the  hearts  of  men,  a  composite  of  Bay- 
ard in  conduct,  of  Chesterfield  in  manners,  of  Montefare  in 
philanthropy,  pity  that  comes  from  the  heart  of  man  to  his 
fellow  man.  He  taught  us  by  his  deeds  the  universal  kinship 
of  all  humanity  and  helped  to  quicken  our  perception  of  the 
great  things  in  life:  love,  beauty, gentleness,  kindness,  court- 
esy, friendship,  duty,  charity,  and  forgiveness. 

"  The  call  of  duty  ever  in  his  ears  was  met  by  him  with 
generous  self-ejfacement  and  in  every  community  activity, 
he  was  a  recognized  leader  and  an  untiring  worker.  To  his 
wise  counsel  and  noble  ideals,  to  his  unswerving  honesty  and 
large  achievement  the  City  of  San  Francisco  owes  a  deep  and 
lasting  gratitude  and  an  inspiration  to  better  deeds." 

On  June  3, 1919,  in  the  midst  of  this  full  life,  with 
so  many  ambitions  and  promises  still  unfulfilled,  and 


[218] 

while  beseeching  aid  for  St.  Ignatius  College,  he  was 
called  by  One  in  whose  hands  we  are  powerless  unto 
Himself.  Typical  of  his  life  were  the  last  words  upon 
his  lips:  "Work  for  the  good  of  the  world,  without  any 
religious  differences,  but  with  the  single  idea  of  one  flag, 
one  country,  and  one  God." 

Oh,  the  great  mystery  of  death !  Could  we  but  lift  the 
veil;  we  are  so  tempted  to  ask  the  why  thereof.  His 
answer  would  have  been:  "Ask  no  more;  have  faith!" 


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